Michele Tafoya, the former sideline reporter for “Sunday Night Football” turned conservative commentator, launched a Minnesota Senate campaign Wednesday with the immediate support from Republicans’ campaign arm and its leader, Sen. Tim Scott.
The endorsement from Scott (R-S.C.), shared first with POLITICO, gives Tafoya an immediate boost in the open seat race. The contest currently has a handful of other Republican primary contenders, including former Minnesota Republican Party Chair David Hann.
“From allowing billions of dollars in fraud to vilifying law enforcement, the Walz-Flanagan administration has failed Minnesotans,” Scott said in a statement. “But change is coming, and Michele Tafoya will lead the way. Michele is the only candidate with the common-sense leadership Minnesotans are desperately craving, and her message of safety, opportunity, and prosperity would be a welcome addition to our Senate majority.”
Since leaving sports media, Tafoya has hosted her own podcast and increasingly appeared on conservative shows.
The NRSC is also out with a new memo about the race, calling Minnesota — which went for Vice President Kamala Harris by 4 points in 2024 — “firmly in play for Republicans.”
“Republicans have a credible and timely opening. With Michele Tafoya as a high-profile, trusted messenger and voters demanding accountability, transparency, and oversight, the GOP is well positioned to define the race early and force Democrats onto defense,” the memo says.
Tafoya — a one-time critic of Donald Trump who has praised the president more recently — had been considering a bid for months after national Republicans encouraged her to enter the race.
Her entrance to the race comes as ICE’s presence in Minnesota — and the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good — has put a national spotlight on the state.
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