Longtime sportscaster Michele Tafoya is entering a packed Republican primary targeting a Minnesota seat in the U.S. Senate. The former NBC Sunday Night Football reporter is seeking the GOP nomination after Democratic Sen. Tina Smith announced she wouldn’t be running for re-election after eight years in office. Fox News first reported that Tafoya had met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and CBS later confirmed her candidacy having seen federal filings submitted on Tuesday. Tafoya drifted into conservative politics after her 25-year career as a sideline reporter ended in 2021. She served as co-chair of Kendall Qualls’ unsuccessful 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial campaign and in December was said to be considering a Senate run. Tafoya’s entrance comes as Republicans work to retain their 53-47 Senate majority in this year’s midterms. Minnesota hasn’t sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2002 but is compiling a dense primary field that includes failed 2024 nominee and former NBA star Royce White, veterans Tom Weiler and Adam Schwarze, and ex-state GOP Chair David Hann. It comes as Minnesota’s local politicians and protesters have clashed with the federal government over its deportation push, which this month claimed the life of 37-year-old mom of three Renee Good.
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