All eyes may have been on Wisconsin Tuesday night watching socialist darling Francesca Hong go down in flames to David Crowley in the Democrat gubernatorial primary, but something interesting was also taking place in neighboring Minnesota.
Michele Tafoya, the Emmy-winning NFL sideline reporter who walked away from her NBC Sports gig in 2022 to pursue a life outside of sports broadcasting, defeated a large field of candidates to nab the Republican nomination in the Minnesota Senate primary. (And although Tafoya has earned the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), President Trump did not endorse in the Minnesota primary.)
Tafoya bested former Navy SEAL and Marine Adam Schwarze, who was endorsed by the Republican Party of Minnesota, by a margin of 53.1 percent to 24.0 percent.
Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya scores victory in Minnesota GOP Senate primary https://t.co/Qguwk8GS4G pic.twitter.com/UOkoxjaLrw
— New York Post (@nypost) August 12, 2026
She thanked the Minnesotans for coming out to vote for her on Tuesday, promising to "bring common sense back to Washington, fight fraud, hold those responsible accountable, and win in November."
Thank you, Minnesota! I am honored to be the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Tonight’s results show Minnesotans are ready for a new direction. Together, we will bring common sense back to Washington, fight fraud, hold those responsible accountable, and win in November.
Let’s get to work!
This was cute – it shows Tafoya back in the day with current Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who's running this year for governor of the great state of Alabama. (I hear they like their sports down there.)
The GOP nominees for Minnesota senator and Alabama governor this year: https://t.co/xhK9iJiVst pic.twitter.com/eahFo5DPYQ
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) August 12, 2026
Tafoya is already well-regarded in conservative circles for being the rare sane person to emerge from the world of sports, and she's going to need all the reinforcements she can get to take on the lunatic that won on the Democrat side: current Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
SEE ALSO: Voter Data Was Missing From 5 Milwaukee USB Sticks — Then WI's Election Night Got Even Weirder
Although a Republican from Minnesota hasn't been elected to the U.S. Senate since Norm Coleman back in 2002 – and Tafoya is certainly the underdog – she's got lots to work with here. Flanagan is about as perfect an opponent as a Republican could ask for in a state that Democrats have been steadfastly dragging far to the left.
It's the land of 10,000 flamboyant throws of the Tim Walz jazz hands, after all.
Tafoya, for her part, is running on a pretty straightforward agenda: cracking down on the massive fraud that has plagued Minnesota, securing the border, restoring some fiscal sanity in Washington, and protecting girls' sports. All good stuff.
Flanagan, on the other hand, has spent years helping Tim Walz turn Minnesota into a progressive hellscape. She wants to dismantle ICE , supports Medicare for All, backs an assault-weapons ban, opposes weapons sales to Israel, and has accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza.
She really takes her lunacy to the next level with the trans stuff.
Flanagan has been one of Minnesota's most aggressive defenders of so-called "gender-affirming care," while the Walz-Flanagan administration turned the state into a refuge for people seeking transgender medical procedures, including for minors. And her messaging on it is violent.
Peggy Flanagan is Minnesota’s Democrat Senate nominee. When she’s not threatening to stab you for not affirming “trans kids,” she’s wearing a hijab to pander to Somali fraudsters. pic.twitter.com/8JWkKt1FHv
— Bad Hombre (@Badhombre) August 12, 2026
Minnesota is still Minnesota, though, and nobody should pretend Tafoya has an easy road ahead of her. But Republicans have drawn a pretty clear line on conservative sanity vs. leftist lunacy. We may not have Francesca Hong to kick around anymore, but we do have far-left loon Peggy Flanagan to spice up the next few months.
One last note, does anyone else find themselves wondering if Peggy Flanagan is somehow related to Tommy Flanagan (pronounced: fluh-NAY-gan), president of Pathological Liars Anonymous?
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member