Candidate · November 3, 2026
Michele Tafoya
On the ballot for U.S. Senate · Minnesota
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $13M
- cash on hand
- $2.8M
- issues with public statements
- 9
- outside spending for or against
- $745K
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. Senate · Minnesota1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Republican1, |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Michele Tafoya worked in sports broadcasting for nearly three decades, including as an NFL sideline reporter for NBC's Sunday Night Football.4 She retired from that role in February 2022, the day after working Super Bowl LVI, her fifth Super Bowl, and has since worked as a political and cultural commentator.4 She earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1988 and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California in 1991.5
Why they say they're running
Her campaign website says she is running because Minnesota deserves better than the corruption and fraud scandals it has seen, and to push for accountability in government, fiscal responsibility, border security, law enforcement and policies focused on families.4,
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitemicheletafoya.com6,
7 - X (Twitter)x.com/Michele_Tafoya6
- Facebookfacebook.com/micheletafoyaforsenate6
- Instagraminstagram.com/realmicheletafoya6
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Taxes and Budget
Her campaign website says she would push to cut off federal funding to any state that refuses to put anti-fraud controls in place or follow basic audit and recovery practices.8
Her campaign website says she will oppose any tax increase on the middle class and opposes repealing the tax cuts it calls the Working Family Tax Cuts.8
Her campaign website says Congress should spend less, borrow less and tax less.8
- Increase overall federal spending
- Hold overall spending near current levels
- Cut overall federal spending
- Cut spending enough to balance the budget within 10 years
Crime, Policing and Prisons
Her campaign website says she will push for new mandatory minimum federal prison sentences for fraud.8
- Reduce or end mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug crimes
- Keep current mandatory minimums
- Add or raise mandatory minimums, for example for selling fentanyl
Her campaign website says she will push for more funding, equipment and training for police officers.8
- Increase police funding, for example to hire more officers
- Keep funding near current levels
- Shift some police funding to mental health, housing or other services
Immigration
Her campaign website says noncitizen immigrants convicted of fraud should be deported and that she would cosponsor the Deporting Fraudsters Act; it also says she supports deporting immigrants in the country illegally who commit crimes and opposes efforts to abolish ICE.8
Her campaign website says federal, state and local law enforcement should be able to work together to enforce immigration law, and that mayors, governors and attorneys general cannot veto federal law.8
Education
Her campaign website says she would work to keep people born male out of women's sports and locker rooms.8
- Require teams based on sex at birth
- Let each state decide
- Let schools or sports organizations set rules case by case
- Teams based on gender identity
Elections and Government Reform
Her campaign website says she supports voter ID and paper ballots, noting that photo ID is required to drive, fly or open a bank account, and that she will push for the SAVE Act.8
- Require a government-issued photo ID, with free IDs for people who need one
- Require ID but accept other documents, such as a utility bill or bank statement
- Don't require ID at the polls; confirm identity through registration records and signatures
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.9
| Raised | $12,501,786 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $9,682,730 |
| Cash on hand | $2,819,387 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $442,060 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $44,884 supporting and $699,903 opposing Michele Tafoya this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through October 23, 2026.10
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| Sheepdog PAC | — | $444,287 |
| The Edge Action Fund (SuperPAC) | — | $175,000 |
| Working America | — | $80,616 |
| THE CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DBA AMERICANS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY | $25,200 | — |
| MINNESOTA FORWARD | $19,684 | — |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
Senate candidates and senators file with the Senate's own disclosure system, which asks each visitor to agree to its terms before searching, so we can't link straight to a filing. You can search for Michele Tafoya at efdsearch.senate.gov11.