Former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya wins Minnesota Senate primary: ‘It’s common sense versus crazy’

Michele Tafoya had NBC attached to her name for 11 years, and now the former NFL reporter is one step closer to attaching “(R-Minn.)” to her name.

Tafoya has been declared the winner of Minnesota’s Republican Senate primary, per NBC News, with a sizable victory over Adam Schwarze and Royce White. (Yes, that Royce White.) Jason Garrett must be thrilled.

“Thank you, Minnesota!” the four-time Sports Emmy winner posted on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”

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 also posted an official press release, in which she’s quoted as saying the following:

“Minnesota is going 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction after years of single-party rule. They’ve turned our state into a national embarrassment. I love this state. My husband and I fell in love here, raised our family here, and built our lives here. I will not sit by and let the state we call home become a laughing stock.

[…]

“This isn’t about red versus blue. It’s common sense versus crazy. We will not reelect politicians who let criminals steal billions and treat accountability as optional. We deserve better, and it’s time we demand better.”

Tafoya filed papers to run for the United States Senate in January, and she leaned heavily into her football past in her first campaign video.

Four years ago, Tafoya departed NBC, where she was best known for roaming the Sunday Night Football sidelines, following Super Bowl LVI.

“I got to a point in my life where I wanted to try other things, and there are some things that are really important to me,” Tafoya told Richard Deitsch at the time. “This is not to say that sports isn’t an important field, that my job isn’t an important job. But in my position, I was not as free to be as vocal about world events that I’m concerned about.

“It’s not because I was told to shut up. I want to be very clear about that. But look, if you’re on a show like Sunday Night Football, which is the No. 1 show in prime time for 11 straight years, unprecedented, the last thing they want to do is invite controversy.”

Immediately upon leaving her sports broadcasting career behind, Tafoya launched headfirst into controversial, off-the-wall commentary and hasn’t looked back. Who could forget this now-viral June 2022 interview on The Dan Le Batard Show?

Tafoya will face Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in November. Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota, according to NBC News.