Michele Tafoya, the legendary former NFL sideline reporter and Twin Cities icon, has officially entered the 2026 Minnesota Senate race. Vowing to flip a seat that has remained in Democrat hands for decades, Tafoya is positioning herself as the “outsider” candidate ready to tackle the state’s deep-rooted corruption.
Her campaign launch centered on the massive $9 billion welfare fraud scandal that has rocked Minnesota. Federal investigators have revealed that the vast majority of those charged in the “Feeding Our Future” and related childcare fraud schemes are of Somali descent, a fact Tafoya has used to highlight the failure of oversight under Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
“I’ve just seen the failure of leadership in Minnesota,” Tafoya told the Daily Caller News Foundation. She argued that career politicians like Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig have let the state decline while prioritizing “extreme” far-left agendas over taxpayer security.
The Race to Flip Minnesota
Tafoya enters a crowded Republican primary field, but she has the momentum of a “star recruit.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Chairman Tim Scott actively courted her for the run, hoping her name recognition can finally break the GOP’s losing streak in the North Star State.
| Candidate | Background | Key Focus |
| Michele Tafoya | Former NFL/NBC Journalist | Ending Fraud, Law & Order, School Choice |
| Adam Schwarze | Former Navy SEAL | National Security, Border Enforcement |
| Royce White | Former NBA Player/Activist | Constitutional Rights, Anti-Establishment |
Attacking the “Agitated Environment”
Tafoya was particularly scathing toward her Democrat rivals, Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig, for their rhetoric against ICE. Following the recent shooting of Renee Good, Craig compared federal immigration operations to “1930s Germany.”
“It’s dangerous. It’s disgusting,” Tafoya said of the comparison. She asserted that the Walz administration has created an environment that is “dangerous not only for law enforcement, but for our citizens.”
While the Cook Political Report currently rates the race as “Likely Democrat,” Tafoya believes the $9 billion fraud scandal and rising violent crime have made the state “ripe” for a Republican takeover. She is betting that families who have lived in Minnesota for generations are finally tired of one-party rule and the “America Last” policies of the current leadership.
President Trump has not yet issued an endorsement in the primary, but Tafoya says she would be “honored” to have his support as she works to expand the current 53-seat GOP Senate majority.