Here’s a ballot puzzle: President Trump told a crowd in Ohio to vote for a Senate candidate in Minnesota. That detail makes this Trump Tafoya endorsement story a little strange, and a little important.
At a Monday rally in Youngstown, Trump said, “You have to vote for Michele Tafoya who’s a very respected person,” according to KFGO. Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, is the Republican nominee for the open Minnesota Senate seat.
A Trump Tafoya endorsement delivered to the wrong state
The audience was in Ohio, but the race is in Minnesota. Nobody in that Youngstown crowd gets to vote for Tafoya, which tells you how casual the moment was.
The Irish Star reports the rally kicked off a week of red-state campaigning. Trump also urged the crowd to back Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, in a seat Republicans are fighting to hold. For more on where the party is feeling the heat, see our look at Trump’s midterm road show.
Here is a caveat worth stating. I found no Truth Social post, no White House statement and no response from the Tafoya campaign. KFGO calls it an endorsement, so the Tafoya endorsement label rests on that report alone. The two outlets also trim Trump’s words differently, so a transcript or video should settle the exact wording.
Trump backs Tafoya, then takes a Minnesota grudge for a spin
Trump did not stop at the shout-out. Instead, he took a swing at Minnesota’s elections. “It’s hard to win because they cheat on their elections, too. I thought I won Minnesota three times,” he said, per KFGO.
That is Trump’s own claim. In fact, Minnesota went the other way in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Why the Trump Minnesota Senate endorsement is awkward for Tafoya
Here’s the thing: Tafoya has spent months trying to look like her own person, and the voters she needs are the ones watching that effort closely. She calls herself a “pro-choice Republican,” according to MPR News. One of her ads says, “When Trump is right, I’ll work with him. When he’s wrong, I’ll stand up for Minnesota.”
Her opponent, DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, is running on the opposite message. MinnPost reports she is tying Tafoya to Trump on his Iran war policy and gas prices. As a result, even a shouted endorsement hands her a fresh talking point.
The numbers show why every word matters. A Star Tribune/KARE 11 poll has Flanagan at 47% and Tafoya at 43%, with about 9% of respondents undecided. Four points is not a lot of room, and the Trump factor cuts both ways. Polls can also tell very different stories, as our Texas Senate poll roundup shows.
So does a Republican in a close blue-leaning race want the president’s name attached to hers? That is the question the Tafoya camp now has to answer.
What happens next after the Tafoya endorsement
The first Flanagan-Tafoya debate is Friday, Oct. 16, at MPR News studios. MPR says it may be the only one. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Expect moderators to ask Tafoya about Trump early, and often. So which Tafoya shows up on Friday: the one who works with him, or the one who stands up to him?
