Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya has won the Minnesota Republican Party's Senate primary, advancing to the general election in November. Tafoya, a four-time Emmy Award-winning sports journalist, entered the GOP primary after incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced in February that she would not seek a second term.
Tafoya, who spent over a decade reporting from NFL sidelines for networks including ABC, ESPN, and NBC, ran as a political outsider promising to bring "common sense" to Washington and flip Smith's Senate seat. She expressed optimism about her chances, writing on X (formerly Twitter) hours before polls closed, "Minnesota is in play. We have a real opportunity to flip this Senate seat and defeat far-left socialist Democrats in November."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) endorsed Tafoya. However, she did not receive an endorsement from former President Trump, and the Minnesota Republican Party convention in May endorsed former Marine and Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze over her.
Tafoya has been vocal on political issues via social media and campaigned on policies including cracking down on fraud, proposing mandatory minimum prison sentences for convicted fraudsters, and deporting undocumented immigrants who misuse taxpayer money. She also stated her intention to "fight tooth and nail" against efforts to abolish ICE, support the SAVE Act, and "get men out of women's sports."
Tafoya began her broadcasting career at Minneapolis radio station KFAN, covering the Minnesota Vikings and the University of Minnesota before moving to CBS in 1994. Minnesotans have not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2002.
Tafoya is expected to face either Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan or Representative Angie Craig in the general election.