Michele Tafoya: “They Hate Caitlin Clark” as WNBA Star Excluded and Minnesota Pardons Convict

Michele Tafoya, the Republican candidate for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat and a longtime NFL sideline reporter, stated that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is caught in “a pattern” of exclusion by her WNBA peers despite achieving career highs this season.

Tafoya noted Clark was left off the 2024 U.S. Olympic basketball team and excluded from the WNBA’s 30th-anniversary poster, even though Clark’s performance has driven increased television ratings, larger crowds, and higher pay for players.

According to WNBA voting data released Thursday, Clark finished second in fan votes and third among media rankings, with her scoring and field goal percentage reaching career highs. Tafoya added that a year after Clark was ranked ninth among guards in All-Star voting by her peers, she is now ranked 11th, calling this disparity “ridiculous.”

She compared Clark’s situation to Tiger Woods’ early days on the PGA Tour, when rivals questioned his rise. Tafoya described the dynamic as “the politics of envy,” stating that Clark’s growing fame and endorsements, including a State Farm deal, have not earned her peers’ appreciation.

“They hate her for it,” Tafoya said.

In a separate matter, Tafoya criticized Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for repeatedly assaulting a 10-year-old girl. The Minnesota Board of Pardons, composed of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, voted unanimously on June 10 to grant the pardon, a week before Vang’s scheduled deportation.

Tafoya called the pardon “obscene,” stating: “He raped a 10-year-old girl repeatedly. This child’s innocence was lost.” She emphasized that the pardon removed the conviction that made Vang eligible for removal and noted that Walz’s office has pointed to a letter from the victim expressing forgiveness as significant, while Ellison’s office disputes DHS’ assertion that the pardon guarantees Vang will avoid deportation.

“You don’t pardon. You deport,” Tafoya said.