As the Minnesota Republican U.S. Senate primary election rapidly approaches, voters will choose between three vastly different candidates as they look to flip a seat and strengthen the party’s position in Washington, D.C.
The race follows Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s decision not to seek reelection after serving since 2018. Republicans see the open seat as a strong opportunity to gain ground in the state ahead of the November general election.
Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya has emerged as the early fundraising and polling leader in the primary, while former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze secured the Minnesota Republican Party’s endorsement at the state convention in May. Former NBA player Royce White, the party’s 2024 U.S. Senate nominee, is also seeking the nomination.
The primary election will take place on Aug. 11, but early voting has already begun. Whichever Republican emerges victorious will face either DFL Congresswoman Angie Craig or DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the November general election.
Michele Tafoya
Tafoya has emerged as the early frontrunner in the primary, holding a lead in early polling and maintaining a financial advantage over her opponents. Additionally, Tafoya is supported by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP.
Tafoya entered politics after building a national profile through her media career. Most notably, Tafoya was a sideline reporter for Sunday Night Football on NBC. During her time as a broadcaster, Tafoya reported from multiple Super Bowls and NFL playoff games.
Now, Tafoya is running for office for the first time and hopes to be the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate race since Norm Coleman won in 2002.
Despite having several advantages in the race, Tafoya faces the challenge of winning without the endorsement of the state Republican party. Historically, Republican candidates without the endorsement have not fared well in primary elections.
Answering written questions for Alpha News, Tafoya said she has been traveling across Minnesota and meeting people who are “fed up and ready for something different.”
“We need to get serious about stopping fraud, bring down the cost of living, and put some good old Minnesota common sense back in Washington,” she said. “That’s what our campaign is all about, and Minnesotans are really responding to it.”
Tafoya said her campaign has received support from tens of thousands of conservatives and has support in all of Minnesota’s 87 counties.
“That tells me we have both the message that connects and the grassroots energy to actually win this primary and take the fight to the Democrats in November,” Tafoya said. “We’re the ones who can get it done.”
Tafoya also told Alpha News she “100 percent” supports the SAVE Act, a federal bill that requires Americans to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote.
In recent months, the SAVE Act has become one of the most widely-discussed political topics in the country. Supported by President Donald Trump and opposed by Democrats, the bill has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives but has stalled in the Senate.
To pass the Senate, most bills require 60 votes to end debate and proceed to a final vote. Trump has called for the Senate to get rid of this 60-vote threshold, which is often referred to as the filibuster. This would allow Republicans to pass the SAVE Act with their 53-seat majority.
While Tafoya did not say whether she supports eliminating the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act, she did say “Senate Republicans should force the Democrats’ obstruction into the light of day. Make them hold the floor and explain to the American people why they’re against basic election protections like requiring proof of citizenship for voting.”
Despite winning the support of many Republicans, some have reservations about Tafoya given that she has previously described herself as “pro-choice” on abortion. Earlier in the campaign, Tafoya told Republican delegates that she believes “there should be reasonable access [to an abortion] in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.”
Describing her views on abortion, Tafoya told Alpha News, “I’ve always been upfront about my own views. I am aligned with President Trump who believes the Dobbs decision sent the issue back to the states where it belongs.”
The former sportscaster said she would vote to confirm “conservative, strict constructionist judges who believe our Constitution means what it says.”
Additionally, Tafoya noted that she opposes taxpayer funding for abortions and believes Minnesota’s state laws on abortion have “gone way too far with virtually no restrictions, even when a child is born alive.”
On the Iran war, Tafoya acknowledged that “Americans do not want a forever war with boots on the ground” but expressed support for the president’s stance against Iran.
“I support the President doing what was long overdue to protect American lives along with Israel and our allies,” she said. “I support his use of American power without committing ground troops. And I support using leverage to get a good deal, not settling for a bad deal that protects Iran’s power to extort the world economy whenever they feel like it.”
Adam Schwarze
Schwarze enters the primary as the GOP-endorsed candidate. A former Navy SEAL with nine deployments, Schwarze told Alpha News in his written answers that he is “a warrior who decided to fight for this country and didn’t stop when I took the uniform off.”
To date, Schwarze’s campaign has received support from nearly 100 state legislators and legislative candidates from across Minnesota. Asked about the polling and fundraising advantages Tafoya has, Schwarze said he is “going to continue out-hustling everyone.”
“I didn’t win the endorsement by out-spending anybody,” Schwarze said. “I won it through hard work and grassroots campaigning. Two thousand delegates, all 87 counties, bottom to top, the hardest process in American politics.”
Schwarze also reiterated the historic strength of the Republican endorsement, saying, “In the history of the Minnesota Republican Party, the endorsed US Senate candidate has NEVER lost the primary, and with tens of thousands of grassroots supporters now behind my candidacy, 2026 will be no different.”
On the SAVE Act, Schwarze said he supports the proposed law and would support using the talking filibuster to pass it. The talking filibuster is similar to the regular filibuster except it requires senators to continuously debate a bill if they want to keep it from going to a vote.
While Tafoya’s answer did not specifically name the talking filibuster, her answer appeared to also be an endorsement of the talking filibuster.
“I have fought for our nation on the battlefield, and I will continue to be a relentless fighter for secure, fair, and transparent elections that honor every lawful American vote,” Schwarze said. “Voter ID and proof of citizenship shouldn’t be controversial — it’s common sense, and the vast majority of this country agrees with it.”
Discussing the SAVE Act, Schwarze was critical of Republican leadership in the Senate who he says “wouldn’t fight for” the proposed law. He noted that “those same leaders in D.C. are pushing Michelle Tafoya’s campaign.”
Despite winning the Republican endorsement, many Minnesotans are still unfamiliar with Schwarze who does not appear to be as well known as either Tafoya or White. Answering this criticism, Schwarze had pointed words for his opponents.
“I wasn’t standing on the sidelines the last twenty years. I was in Iraq. I was in the Pacific. I was running Crisis Alert Force operations in the Middle East,” he said. “If you don’t know my name yet, it’s because I didn’t spend my time on television or playing professional sports. I spent it keeping America safe from enemies who wanted to do us harm.”
Talking about himself and the other two candidates, Schwarze said, “I’m not a career politician, I’m not a retired media personality, I’m not a failed professional athlete — I’m a warrior who decided to fight for this country and didn’t stop when I took the uniform off.”
Schwarze also had other choice words aimed at Tafoya, describing her as “hand-picked by the Establishment” and a “handpicked bought-n-paid-for candidate of the DC swamp selected because they’re easier to control and more of the ‘do nothing’ establishment.”
On the conflict with Iran, Schwarze said, “I hate war. I’ve seen what it costs up close, and I’ll never romanticize combat for anybody who hasn’t lived it. So when I tell you I support what President Trump has done in Iran, that’s not some armchair opinion — it comes from someone who’s been there.”
The former Navy SEAL elaborated, saying “Iran will never stop being a threat to America and cannot be trusted” and noting that “we took out the head of the regime that’s spent decades being the world’s #1 sponsor of terrorism against Americans and our allies.”
“That’s not the same mistake we made in Iraq, where we went in without a clear objective and stayed for two decades without one,” he continued. “This has been targeted, and it’s been effective.”
Schwarze added, “I trust this President to keep the pressure on and bring [the war] to a real end, not a photo-op. I hate war, but weakness invites more of it. Minnesota needs a Senator who understands the difference between the two, and I’ve lived it.”
Royce White
White enters the primary race after previously winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2024, losing to DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
A former professional basketball player and BLM activist-turned-conservative commentator, White has built his campaign around supporting border security, tackling the national debt, and ending what he calls “forever wars.”
Despite his prior Senate campaign, White has lagged behind both Tafoya and Schwarze in fundraising and trails Tafoya in recent polling.
White himself has faced scrutiny after a judge ruled in April that White “committed domestic abuse against” his son. Additionally, the judge determined that White’s ex-wife “credibly testified” that White “committed domestic abuse against” her on “numerous, unspecified past occasions by slapping, grabbing, and pulling [her] hair.”
The Minnesota GOP called on White to suspend his Senate campaign after the ruling was announced, but White so far has not.
White has appealed the ruling against him.
Alpha News contacted White’s campaign for this story with questions about his campaign strategy, the SAVE Act, the Iran war, and the court ruling against him. However, his campaign did not respond before the publication deadline.
Rachael Van Rossum
Rachael Van Rossum is a journalist and author who studies political science in the Twin Cities. She previously interned with the Illinois House of Representatives and recently published her debut fantasy novel "The Hellburner of Sovi." Rachael is passionate about telling compelling stories and bringing to life the voices of political figures, athletes, and members of her community through engaging writing. She is the Alpha News journalism fellow for the summer of 2026.
