MAGA Senate hopeful Michele Tafoya faces backlash over Starbucks remarks after primary win

Michele Tafoya, a 61-year-old former one outlet sideline reporter, won the Republican primary for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat by a 28-point margin and will face progressive Democrat Peggy Flanagan in the November election. Her victory revived scrutiny of remarks she made in March, urging Americans to skip Starbucks trips to stretch gas mileage while the country endures rising fuel costs linked to President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

Critics such as Democrat Fred Wellman called the suggestion tone-deaf, arguing it ignored the financial strain on ordinary workers. Online commenters echoed the sentiment, comparing the advice to “let them eat cake.” Tafoya, once a Trump critic who supported Ron DeSantis in 2024, has now fully adopted a MAGA stance, hoping to flip a state Republicans have long targeted but never won statewide. She framed the campaign as a response to what she described as a “crisis of leadership” and “national embarrassment” caused by career politicians.