Michele Tafoya wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate
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Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya scored a decisive win Tuesday in her campaign to move from the NFL sidelines to the U.S. Senate, gaining the GOP nomination in an open-seat race.
Her DFL opponent was still to be decided as election officials counted votes in the primary between U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
Tafoya cruised past Republican-endorsed candidate Adam Schwarze, former basketball player Royce White and others on her way to the fall ballot. She was the favored candidate of national Republicans who are aiming to put the Minnesota race on the map in a year when the party is playing defense elsewhere.
Republicans haven’t won a statewide election in Minnesota since 2006, but Tafoya hopes to appeal to enough independents to lift her in November.
Correction (Aug. 11, 2026): An earlier headline on this story incorrectly referred to which race Tafoya won.
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