By ALEX RASKIN, US SPORTS NEWS EDITOR
Published: 14:43 EST, 16 December 2025 | Updated: 14:44 EST, 16 December 2025
Retired sideline reporter and Sports Emmy Award-winner Michele Tafoya is eyeing a run for United States Senate in Minnesota, Outkick is reporting.
The vocal supporter of President Donald Trump hasn’t announced any plans for the 2026 midterm elections, but according to Outkick, Tafoya has met with National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Senate Leadership Fund, and others in Washington to discuss the subject.
Democrat Tina Smith has declined to run for a second term in the Senate, potentially giving the Republicans an opening in a battleground state.
A 60-married mother of two, Tafoya revealed her political beliefs a decade earlier when she described herself to Sports Illustrated as a ‘a pro-choice conservative.’ She remained with NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage through 2021 when she stepped away to pursue other opportunities.
Tafoya now hosts an eponymous podcast focusing on a variety of topics and she previously co-chaired gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls’ doomed gubernatorial campaign against Tim Walz in 2022.
The Daily Mail has sought confirmation through Tafoya's spokespeople.
A 60-married mother of two, Tafoya revealed her political beliefs a decade earlier when she described herself to Sports Illustrated as a ‘a pro-choice conservative'
If Tafoya does run, she’ll but up against former Iowa State basketball star and first-round NBA Draft pick Royce White in the state’s Republican primary. White was the party’s candidate for Minnesota’s other Senate seat in 2024, but he lost to incumbent Amy Klobuchar in the general election.
White has faced accusations of misogyny, homophobia and anti-Semitism during his brief political career.
The state's 'Mr. Basketball' as a high school senior in 2009, White accepted a scholarship to Minnesota but quickly dropped out after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and theft for taking $100 worth of clothes and allegedly pushing a mall security officer to the ground.
He then transferred to Iowa State, where he became one of the most dynamic players in the country. White was so skilled as a ball handler and passer that he was taken by the Houston Rockets with the 16th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.
Unfortunately for White, who has been open about battling mental health issues, things did not work out in the NBA. Due to his intense fear of flying, the Rockets agreed to allow White to travel by bus. Still, he missed several practices and refused an assignment to the club's G-League affiliate.
Long-time NBA executive Daryl Morey, the man who picked White with the Rockets, has described him as 'the worst first-round pick ever,' and that may not be an exaggeration. White would move on to the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings, but managed to appear in only three NBA games while failing to score a single point.
White speaks during a protest outside the Hennepin County Government Center in 2020
Royce White played in only three NBA games despite being a first-round pick in 2012
ESPN's Tafoya interviews quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts in 2007
Since then he's played professionally in Canada and Ice Cube's Big3 league, where he recently appeared with Trump's name written on the side of his head. He's even flirted with an MMA career.
But White's primary focus these days has become conservative politics and his mission of drawing more voters of color to the Republican party. The obstacle for White has been his past statements on any number of issues, including women.
'Look, let's just be frank,' White once told podcaster and MAGA enthusiast Steve Bannon. 'Women have become too mouthy. As the black man in the room, I'll say that.'
As for the Democrats, U.S. representative Angie Craig and lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan have both declared for the primary.