Sports Reporter Wants to Be Minnesota's Next Senator

A familiar face from NFL broadcasts is trying to flip a blue Senate seat in Minnesota, and national Republicans are backing her from the get-go. Michele Tafoya, a longtime Sunday Night Football sideline reporter who has reinvented herself as a conservative media voice, formally entered the 2026 Minnesota Senate race on Wednesday, reports Politico. The seat that Tafoya is going for is that of retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, per the AP. Within hours of her announcement, Tafoya secured an endorsement from Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, giving her a high-profile boost in a crowded GOP primary that already includes former state party leader David Hann.

Scott, who chairs the NRSC, framed Tafoya as the party's best bet to challenge Democratic control in a state that went to Vice President Kamala Harris by 4 points in 2024, per Politico. In a statement, he blasted the administration of Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan over alleged fraud and public safety issues and said Tafoya would bring "safety, opportunity, and prosperity" to Washington. An NRSC memo sent out to coincide with her campaign launch argues that Minnesota is "firmly in play" for the GOP, describing Tafoya as a "high-profile, trusted messenger" who could define the race early and push Democrats onto the defensive.

Tafoya left sports broadcasting in 2022 and has since hosted a podcast and appeared regularly on conservative programs. Once a critic of President Trump, she has spoken more favorably of him in recent years. Her campaign rollout comes as Minnesota draws increased national attention, including over immigration enforcement and the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good, issues that Republicans see as fodder in a law-and-order campaign.