Michele Tafoya on fraud, affordability, immigration and Minnesota's US Senate race

(FOX 9) - Michele Tafoya joined FOX 9 All Day on Thursday, two days after winning the Republican nomination in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota, to discuss her campaign.

She will face Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who won the Democratic primary, in the general election. Flanagan also joined All Day on Thursday to talk about her platform.

Tafoya on preventing fraud

"There's a piece of legislation that is waiting for another co-sponsor, and I'm going to go do that. It's called the Deporting Fraudsters Act, but it does three key things. Number one, if you are a guest of this country, and you defraud Americans, you will be deported with no opportunity to come back. Secondly, if you're an American citizen, and you've defrauded your fellow Americans, it's no longer just a slap on the wrist or a fine. You will face mandatory prison minimums. And third, and this is hugely important, if we're going to receive federal taxpayer money—remember, that's not just some sort of nebulous government money; this is our money that we paid in taxes—if you're going to get that for a program, you better have guardrails in place right from the get-go and ways to claw back fraud if it happens. Otherwise, you're not getting the funding in the first place."

Tafoya on making life more affordable

"I would remind people, first of all, the gas was higher under the Biden administration. So let's have some frame of reference there. But there are so many ways. But again, when you have your taxes so high as they are in Minnesota, that's the first thing about making life unaffordable in Minnesota and why so many businesses are leaving here and why residents are leaving here. So we've got to protect the tax cuts, the working family tax cuts. We can do that in the Senate, and I intend to do that. Make sure there's no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security. Don't let that program get affected by having a Senate that is Democrat."

Tafoya on Operation Metro Surge, ICE and immigration enforcement

"I will say this: I do not agree with the way that Metro Surge was rolled out. I don't. I'm not gonna agree with my party on everything. And that's one decision that I think was really unfortunate. And those two tragic deaths that you mentioned didn't need to happen. At the same time, I would remind people again that the border was wide open for four years under the Biden administration and millions of unvetted immigrants came in, many of them criminals. And so we had a lot of deaths at their hands, a lot of crime at their hands. That didn't need to happen, and it's been a very tough thing to kind of clean up and take care of.

"Look, as far as ICE goes, I like law enforcement. I've talked to a number of law enforcement agencies and leaders in the state of Minnesota, asked them what they need. They want to cooperate. They want to work hand in hand. One officer told me, you know, 'It doesn't make sense to me that I would go put life and limb on the line to arrest a dangerous criminal, then he would be released, and now we have someone else have to go out and risk life and limb to arrest that same criminal.' He said, 'That's inefficient. It's nonsensical. Why is this happening?' I think there can be cooperation, and I think that there should be cooperation, and I want law enforcement to know that when I'm in the Senate, they will have a direct line to me, and I will help them in any and every way I can."

Tafoya on her opponent's proposed changes to ICE

"I would suggest then that we don't reopen the southern border or the northern border. Biden was her preferred immigration president, and we saw what a disaster that was. And again, does she want to take accountability for allowing that, for having her party allow that? That was a disaster. So she is saying, I think her quote is, 'Let's tear ICE up. Let's tear it up.' She won't get specific on what that means. She says, 'I don't want to abolish, but I want to tear it up.' I don't know what that means.

What I want is safe and secure borders. And I think the priority of every level of government, from federal all the way down to city, is—priority number one has to be keeping your people safe, keeping your citizens safe. We deserve to live peaceful, safe lives in an environment of public safety. So I don't know what her answer is for. What do you do when you tear up ICE, and what does that even mean? I think that local and federal officers should always have cooperation."

Tafoya on mining and national security

"It's amazing what we can do in the United States of America. We are the home of innovation. My dad was an aerospace engineer. I was raised this way. I see what innovation looks like. So we can slingshot some people around the moon. We can capture a rocket coming back to Earth in a big clamp. It seems to me we ought to be able to do mining, and we ought to be able to do it safely and in a way that is clean and safe for the environment. And that's what I support, because not only is it about—and it is about—national security, for the reasons you detailed, we should not be getting these precious minerals from adversaries. So to the extent that we can, we've got to get them here. And I think we can do that cleanly. I think two things can be true at the same time. It's also really good for business and for communities up in those areas that have been demolished. So I support this, and I know that we could do it the right way."

Tafoya on protecting the Boundary Waters

"Of course. It is a big concern, and you know what? Pete Stauber, who's the congressman who represents that area, loves the Boundary Waters—would never want anything to happen to the Boundary Waters. This is far enough distance away from the Boundary Waters, and again, let's talk about safeguards. Let's do that second and third-level thinking. We want mining? Yes. What is that going to require? What should we do to prevent any pollution? That's been done. The hoops that businesses, mining companies in Minnesota, have to go through to open a mine are many and difficult. So they're gonna be put through some rigorous testing before any of that happens. But I think people up there want that business there."

Tafoya on lowering health care costs

"What I remember, and when I was really getting into what can I do to help my country, it was partly because the Affordable Care Act passed, and it was supposed to expand all of our access and make health care cheaper. It's done just the opposite. Government is too much involved in this. So Peggy Flanagan's side wants to give the government total control, Medicare for All. Let the government control your access, when you get care, how you get care, and how much care you get, how old you are when you still get care. And the other side wants to just say, 'Oh, let's just let big pharma and insurance companies take over.' You know who I want in control of your health care? You. And I think we need to look at the whole situation and look at how we can strip it down and give the power back to the patients."

Tafoya on gun control and red flag laws

"Okay, so here's the thing. I support the Second Amendment, first of all, and it is there for so many good reasons. So we need to get that straight first. And in Minnesota, we have some of the toughest gun laws anywhere in the Midwest, I would say anywhere in the country. Let's enforce those laws. Let's start by enforcing those laws, and when we have people with mental health issues, we need to pay attention to mental health too. That's what I would say. I think that there are gun checks, universal background checks, that are already in place. Enforce those laws. But to continue to chip away at the rights of legal gun owners, who are often just not involved at all with any of the gun violence—they are, in many cases, preventers—leave them alone."

Tafoya on hardening schools

"You know, I've talked to some people at defense companies, people that specialize in hardening schools, and it doesn't necessarily mean you need an armed guard at every door. There are materials you can put on glass windows. There are a lot of precautions that you can take. And listen, I sent my two kids to school every day and I thought about that all the time. Every parent does. So it is a concern. I think there are ways to harden schools. Don't make them militant, but also make them safe and secure for our kids."

Tafoya on why a Republican can win statewide

"The pendulum has to swing eventually, and I think Minnesota is a unique situation. You have detailed the fraud, the failing test scores of our kids. This one makes me mad, and it's very close to my heart. My mom was a public school teacher for her entire career. And to watch what was once a crown jewel in Minnesota, our education system, falter the way it has, where 50% of our kids can't read at grade level, and 50% can't do math at grade level—and we're sending them out into the world unequipped to do those two most basic skills—that's absurd to me.

I think the pendulum is swinging. I think Minnesotans are waking up. Look, we tried it for years here with single-party rule, with Peggy Flanagan and Tim Walz, eight years, single-party rule. Look what it's gotten us. We tried it their way. We've got to be ready for change. Minnesotans, I believe, are ready to stand up and say, 'Why do we keep reelecting the people who bring us failure? Who fail us on so many different levels.' They're gonna stand up and they're gonna say, 'You know what? You don't deserve a promotion, Peggy Flanagan. You need to take accountability, and our leadership needs to be responsible, transparent, honest, and be willing to take accountability.' These people have had their chance. It's time for change, and I'm ready to represent that change."

Tafoya on whether she would break with President Trump

"Like I said, I am not going to agree with my party on everything. I'm a pro-choice Republican. I already have that. And I would say, you know, listen, as I said, I do not agree with the way that Operation Metro Surge was rolled out here in Minnesota. When things go well and when I think that this administration is right, I will say so. When things don't go well, and I think they are not right, I will say so.

I am not a career politician. I'm not looking for a career. I'm doing this because I'm so tired of watching the state that I love, the state where I raised my kids, the state where I grew my career, the state where my family lives, going downhill, with businesses leaving and our kids unable to stay here because they can't afford it. I can't stand by and watch this anymore. I'm not in this because I'm desperate to be a politician. I had a great career. I left it, and now I'm looking at a way to serve. So no, I'm going to represent Minnesotans, not special interests, not party bosses, not lobbyists. Minnesotans."

Tafoya on women making history on the statewide ticket

"You know, it's interesting. I've never really been into identity politics. And I know people tell me all the time, I was a woman in a man's world in sportscasting. And I was among the first. And people would ask, 'What is it like to be a woman in that profession?' And I would say, 'I don't even really think about that.' What I think about is being a journalist in that profession. And being the most professional, well-prepared, hard-working journalist that I can be.

And I'm looking at this the same way. I understand the history and the milestone of it, but I'm going there to just represent Minnesotans and work my tail off. That's all I've done my entire life. I've worked and worked and worked since I was 10-years-old, watering people's lawns when they went on vacation. And that's my intention. You know, whatever class I represent, that's kind of to the wayside by me, you know, off to the side. I don't put a lot of stock in that. What I want to do is go be a professional. Be a great senator and represent Minnesotans."