Michele Tafoya, the Republican candidate for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat and a longtime NFL sideline reporter, has accused Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark of being caught in a pattern of exclusion by her WNBA peers despite reaching career highs this season.
Tafoya stated that Clark was left off the 2024 U.S. Olympic basketball team and the WNBA’s 30th anniversary poster, even though her contributions have significantly boosted television ratings, attendance, and player paychecks.
The WNBA poster snub has been attributed by some reports to a licensing restriction on Clark’s image rather than a deliberate omission.
Clark finished second in this year’s fan vote and third among media outlets, with her scoring and field goal percentage both reaching career highs according to WNBA voting data released Thursday.
Tafoya noted that Clark was ranked ninth among guards in All-Star voting a year ago but now stands at 11th among her peers. “That, if nothing else, shows you how ridiculous this all is,” she said.
She compared Clark’s situation to Tiger Woods’ early days on the PGA Tour, where rivals initially viewed him as a disruptor. Tafoya described the dynamic as “the politics of envy,” stating that Clark’s fame and endorsements have not earned her peers’ appreciation.
“They hate her for it,” Tafoya added.
When asked about recent events in Minnesota involving Governor Tim Walz, Tafoya criticized the pardon granted to 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, unanimously voted on June 10 to pardon Vang — a week before his scheduled deportation. The decision followed a recommendation from the state’s Clemency Review Commission.
Tafoya condemned the pardon as “obscene,” stating: “What Tim Walz did and participating in that pardon is obscene. He raped a 10-year-old girl repeatedly. This child’s innocence was lost.”
She emphasized, “You don’t pardon. You deport,” noting that federal officials had not yet determined whether to pursue deportation proceedings for Vang.
