Former ESPN and NBC Sideline Reporter Michele Tafoya Triumphs in GOP Senate Primary

Former TV sports reporter Michele Tafoya won Minnesota’s Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat.

According to The New York Times, Tafoya finished with 52.1 percent of the vote, ahead of second-place finisher Adam Schwarze at 24 percent and third-place contender Royce White at 11.2 percent. White was the GOP Senate candidate in 2024, when he lost to Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor this year.

White also made headlines last week when the former NBA player claimed to be transgender and said he wants to play in the WNBA.

In November, Tafoya will face Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who won the Democratic Senate primary, according to CBS.

.@Michele_Tafoya‘s message to Minnesotans tonight is HOPE.

Hope that Minnesota can be free of fraud. Hope that Minnesota’s businesses can be empowered to succeed. Hope that Minnesota’s working families can thrive again. pic.twitter.com/U0QP09SNfh

— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) August 12, 2026

“Minnesotans are beaten down by this fraud,” Tafoya told CBS, referencing the massive social services fraud that took place on the watch of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

“Nine billion dollars was stolen from all of us taxpayers. We’re seeing test scores go down while crime goes up; we are seeing businesses flee and our kids are unable to afford to stay. This needs to change,” she said.

The last Republican elected to the Senate from Minnesota was Norm Coleman in 2002.

“I’m here to represent all Minnesotans,” Tafoya said Tuesday. “We’re going to do that. We’re going to fight for them.”

“Tonight’s results show Minnesotans are ready for a new direction,” Tafoya posted on X.

Thank you, Minnesota! I am honored to be the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Tonight’s results show Minnesotans are ready for a new direction. Together, we will bring common sense back to Washington, fight fraud, hold those responsible accountable, and win in November.… pic.twitter.com/GXSFM38e9c

— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) August 12, 2026

Tafoya worked as a sports commentator for CBS, ABC, ESPN, and NBC, according to ESPN. She was the sideline reporter for NBC “Sunday Night Football” from 2011 to 2022, according to Yahoo Sports.

“We are suffering a crisis here in Minnesota, and really, it’s a crisis of leadership. We have career politicians who have brought us to this place, and they’re not coming to save us. So, some of us are going to have to step up and clean up the mess ourselves,” Tafoya told Fox News when she announced her candidacy.

“We’ve got to decide not between right versus left, but right versus wrong, and we’ve got to decide, are we going to build up with the common sense that made this country great, or are we going to tear us apart with the corruption and the crazy that we’re seeing? I think people know the answer to that, and that’s why I’m running.”

Tafoya said the fraud scandal in the state “is epic, and it’s huge, and I don’t think we’ve seen the end of it.”

“This fraud is massive. We need to get to the bottom of it. We need to ask hard questions, get to the facts, make it stop, hold people accountable, and that’s why I’m running,” she said.

“I think if Minnesotans aren’t angry already, they need to look at their pay stubs, look at how much gets taken out in taxes, and ask themselves, ‘What did that get me? Did that get me anything? Did that fill a pothole, or did I buy someone a Rolex?’” Tafoya said.

“I mean, that’s what, really, what we’re talking about here.”

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