Michele Tafoya jumps in Minnesota Senate race with NRSC endorsement
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Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya jumped in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race this week with the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Why it matters: The endorsement signals that GOP leaders in Washington think the broadcaster-turned-podcaster is their best shot at winning the November election for the open seat.
- The stamp of approval, which unlocks resources and strategy help from the NRSC, is expected to route campaign cash from deep-pocketed donors and outside groups her way.
State of play: Tafoya joins a field of about a half dozen candidates running to be the GOP nominee to succeed retiring DFL U.S. Sen. Tina Smith.
- U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are locked in a heated fight for the DFL nomination.
Zoom in: Minnesota Republicans have tried for years to recruit Tafoya to run for office. She told Axios that seeing the state in "crisis" over fraud and other issues motivated her to get into the race.
- "I realized that these career politicians are not going to save us," she said. "We've got to do it ourselves."
Between the lines: Other GOP candidates running — including former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and 2024 U.S. Senate nominee Royce White — have struggled to gain traction and raise enough cash for a viable campaign.
- Former Republican Party Chair David Hann entered the race in mid-December and has yet to file a fundraising report.
Friction point: Tafoya's path to the Republican nomination could face headwinds, even with the backing of GOP Senate leaders.
- Her past comments calling it "dumb" for Republicans to push for abortion bans in Minnesota have rankled conservative GOP activists who traditionally play an outsized role in determining who wins the state party's pivotal endorsement.
- An open letter she published urging President Trump not to run again in 2024 could also emerge as an issue in her bid to court GOP delegates and voters.
Case in point: Hann issued a statement attacking Tafoya on both fronts shortly after she announced her bid, saying she "stabbed President Trump, the MAGA movement, and pro-life Republicans in the back, and now — for political expediency's sake — expects all to be forgotten."
Zoom in: Tafoya defended her views on abortion in her Axios interview, calling herself a "pro-choice Republican, period," and said she thinks the Senate should be focused on issues like housing prices, border security and fraud since the Supreme Court "sent this issue back to the states."
- On Trump, she said she would be "honored to have the endorsement of the White House," but will remain focused on talking to voters from all political parties.
Zoom out: On the conflict over ICE's surge in Minnesota, Tafoya said the shooting of Renee Good was "awful" and something that "should have never happened."
- But she said Minnesota Democrats should take responsibility for the state getting to "this place where people feel like it's their duty to go out and harass and obstruct and even attack federal law enforcement."
- She declined to comment on reports of federal agents racially profiling residents, saying she needs "to be much better informed on the specifics of those in order to comment."
The other side: Democrats, who are already attacking Tafoya over her more recent support for Trump and past social posts disparaging the state, must overcome intra-party drama of their own in the months ahead.
- Clashes over immigration and fraud — two issues also expected to dominate the general election — have cranked up the tension in the primary battle between Craig and Flanagan.
What we're watching: The outcome of the primaries will shape how competitive — and expensive — the November campaign becomes.
- One top political forecaster currently rates the race as "likely Democratic."