Michele Tafoya is picking up a notable endorsement in her Minnesota Senate race.
NBC Sports analyst Jason Garrett released a video endorsement for Tafoya’s Minnesota Senate campaign, calling her one of the most trustworthy and credible people he’s encountered in more than 25 years of knowing her, dating back to her days at ESPN and through her long run as a sideline reporter for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
“As a former NFL player and coach, and now as a broadcaster, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people through the years,” Garrett said. “But you’re hard-pressed to find someone who’s more trustworthy, who’s kinder, more professional, more credible than Michelle Tafoya.”
.@JasonGarrett has spent his life around winners as an NFL player, a head coach, and now a broadcaster.
He’s known me for 25 years. He knows my character, my values, and exactly why I’m running.
I’m deeply grateful for his support and his kind words.
Minnesota needs a Senator… pic.twitter.com/5uYVYGDMS0
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) June 3, 2026
Tafoya filed papers in January to run as a Republican for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Tina Smith. The day after she worked her final game at Super Bowl LVI for NBC in 2022, she was already co-chairing Republican gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls’ campaign in Minnesota. Qualls stalled in the primary, but Tafoya kept her political career going, launching a podcast that included an episode titled “Hunter, Hitler, and Hand Soap,” becoming a fixture in conservative media, and appearing on Fox News earlier this year to falsely claim nearly 30 percent of Californians are homeless, a statistic that left even the Fox News panel visibly stunned. Reports of a Senate run started circulating last December after she met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington.
“She loves our country. She loves Minnesota, she loves its citizens, and she wants to do everything she can to make their lives better,” Garett added. “Here’s one thing I know about Michelle. She believes in what she says, and she acts on what she believes. She cares about you. She wants to improve your life in every way that she possibly can. That’s why she’s doing it. OK, if you’re a citizen of Minnesota, vote for Michelle Tafoya. She’s going to make your life a heck of a lot better.”
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.