MINNEAPOLIS — Television sportscaster Michele Tafoya, most recently with WCCO, is running for the U.S. Senate. No surprise: It’s the Republican nomination she seeks. No surprise: For years Tafoya has had a sideline as a conservative political bloggerand is a Trump acolyte. So far there are only two other Republicans in the horizon to replace incumbent Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat, who’s retiring. The other Republican contenders:
> Royce White, a former profession basketball player who lost in 2024 against incumbent U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.
> Marissa Simonetti, who once ran for the Hennepin County Board but quit after bad publicity for tossing a tarantula at a roommate.
The leading Democrats for their party’s nomination:
> Angue Craig, currently in her fourth term in the U.S. House.
> Peggy Flanagan, currently lieutenant governor.
> Melissa Lopez Franzen, a former state senator from Edina.
In announcing her candidacy Tafoya said: “For years, I walked the sidelines when the stakes were the highest, and that job taught me how leadership really works. I’m running for U.S. Senate to bring that experience to Washington and deliver real results.” She said the nation has a middle-class crisis: “We’ve got families struggling to pay rent, to pay mortgages, to put groceries on the table. Energy costs need to come down. Schools need to do better.” Asked whether she supports President Trump’s economic policies despite those struggles, Tafoya pointed to lower gas prices and recent reports of rising gross domestic production. “It’s only been a year,” she said. “Let’s see what happens here early 2026.”
Promoting her podcast Besides being an online influencer, Tafoya, age 58, has been a football sideline reporter for ABC, CBS, ESPN and NBC. In 2022 she co-chaired the Kendall Qualls campaign for Minnesota governor.
Verbatim
Tafoya: “What I wouldn’t do is stir up this hatred for law enforcement, No one has worked to calm the issue and say, ‘Everyone let’s take a breath. Everybody settle down. If you want to peacefully protest, that’s OK.’ What I’ve seen is the governor and the mayor stir people up and create this environment where they feel they should throw their cars and their bodies between law enforcement and their mission. That’s not how you’ll get peace and normalcy here. I want public safety and I back law enforcement. So I would really like it if Minnesota’s law enforcement could work with federal law enforcement to make this as safe and as peaceful for everyone. That keeps the officers safe and that keeps the public safe.”