Former NFL sideline reporter turned political activist and commentator Michele Tefoya is seriously considering a Republican run for the Senate in Minnesota in 2026. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
If she announces her candidacy, Tafoya would join a crowded GOP Senate primary field that already includes 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player; retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler, a 2022 GOP congressional nominee; and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flannagan, a progressive, is facing off against more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who appears to have the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in the race for their party’s nomination.
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota is retiring at the end of next year rather than running for re-election in the 2026 midterms. (Getty Images)
Tafoya, a longtime NFL sideline reporter and announcer, gave up her career at NBC Sports in 2022 as she became more politically active, saying at the time that she wanted to pursue other opportunities. She served as co-chair of 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Kendall Qualls' unsuccessful campaign against Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
Since then, Tafoya has become a vocal critic of Walz and far-left Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and has slammed both of them over Minnesota’s ongoing fraud scandal.
"Dear @Tim_Walz — please deal with the horrendous fraud you allowed in Minnesota before anything else. Please. Our money was stolen," Tafoya wrote last week in a social media post.
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Republicans are hoping to break their nearly quarter-century-long losing streak in Senate elections in Minnesota. Then-GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s 2002 re-election was the last Senate election victory by a Republican in the blue-leaning state.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-nfl-sideline-star-poised-shake-up-crowded-gop-field-high-stakes-senate-race