Michele Tafoya spent many years working the sidelines at NFL stadiums as a reporter. Now, she wants to try a different arena -- politics.
On Tuesday, Tafoya announced that she is running for the U.S. Senate. While entering a crowded field for the GOP nomination, Tafoya, 61, the former “Sunday Night Football” sideline reporter, has already secured an endorsement from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its chairperson, Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina).
A California native born on Dec. 17, 1964, in Manhattan Beach, Tafoya lives in Edina, Minnesota, with her husband and two children, the Star Tribune reported. In the Republican primary, she will try to defeat former pro basketball player Royce White, former state Republican party chairperson David Hann, former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and former House candidate Tom Weiler.
Incumbent Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat, is retiring. Democrats hoping to fill her seat are Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig.
“For too long, hardworking people have been ripped off by criminals, corporations and career politicians,” Tafoya said in a video announcing her candidacy. “And the people doing everything right are the ones paying the biggest price. Well, I’m not going to stay on the sidelines any longer.”
Tafoya spent most of her decades-long journalism career on the sidelines of NFL games. She worked for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” from 2011 to 2022, covering four Super Bowls, and was part of the network’s Olympics coverage.
She also worked the sidelines for ABC and ESPN, covering one Super Bowl.
She also worked for CBS Sports beginning in November 1994 as a reporter and host for college basketball.
Tafoya retired from NBC in 2022, saying that she wanted to pursue other activities. Her final broadcast that year was Super Bowl LVI, The New York Times reported.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2002, The Washington Post reported.
“Michele is the only candidate with the common-sense leadership Minnesotans are desperately craving, and her message of safety, opportunity, and prosperity would be a welcome addition to our Senate majority,” Scott said in a statement, according to the Star Tribune.
“No Republican has won a Senate seat in Minnesota in more than two decades, and 2026 will be no different,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle Coyle said in a statement.
Tafoya cited her experience as a broadcast journalist, stating that the job “taught me about how leadership really works.”
“When leaders are prepared and accountable, teams succeed,” Tafoya said in her video. “When they aren’t, people pay the price.”
Since leaving network television, Tafoya has worked as a conservative commentator and broadcasts on her own podcast, according to the Post.