01/21/26 08:37:00
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01/21 08:35 CST From the NFL sidelines to a US Senate race: Michele Tafoya's
new play
From the NFL sidelines to a US Senate race: Michele Tafoya's new play
By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --- Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya launched her
campaign for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, hoping to win the Republican
nomination for the Minnesota seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen.
Tina Smith.
"For years, I covered the biggest football games in America," Tafoya said in a
video posted on social media. "I walked the sidelines when the pressure was
mounting and the stakes were the highest. That job taught me about more than
football. It taught me about how leadership really works. When leaders are
prepared and accountable, teams succeed. When they aren't, people pay the
price."
Tafoya, who's long been active in Minnesota Republican politics, is best known
for her work from 2011-2022 as a sideline reporter for NBC's Sunday Night
Football. Other Republicans in the race include former NBA player Royce White,
who lost to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, and military veterans Adam
Schwarze and Tom Weiler.
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are
competing for their party's nomination to succeed Smith, who announced last
February that she wouldn't seek another term.
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