Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines - Michele Tafoya’s Big News & Plans ｜ The Riley Gaines Show

00:00:00.000 This January on Paramount Plus, it began on the shores of New Jersey.

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00:00:19.580 Hello, you guys. Welcome back to The Riley Gaines Show.

00:00:22.660 Very excited that you're here. I hope that you're watching on YouTube.com.

00:00:25.920 Uh, that's where you can like, subscribe, follow all things Riley Gaines Show.

00:00:30.160 Be sure to follow us over on Instagram at Riley Gaines Show as well.

00:00:34.400 Uh, today we are talking with Michelle Tafoya.

00:00:37.480 Uh, she is a veteran American sportscaster.

00:00:40.160 I mean, she's worked with CBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC.

00:00:44.220 She has one of the longest tenures in NFL history, uh, but she has now turned political and cultural commentator.

00:00:52.620 Uh, she's the host of the Michelle Tafoya podcast.

00:00:55.920 Uh, but she is someone who I have looked up to long before I ever had the privilege of knowing her personally.

00:01:03.020 Long before politics, long before activism.

00:01:05.560 Uh, I knew her as one of the most respected voices in sports broadcasting.

00:01:10.860 Uh, I come from a big football family.

00:01:13.860 Uh, my dad, my uncles all played in the NFL.

00:01:16.800 Uh, and so I grew up watching her as a sideline reporter.

00:01:19.680 My dad still to this day says that she is the best sideline reporter.

00:01:23.160 Uh, flash forward to the 2016 Olympic games, which this was the first year that I qualified for Olympic trials.

00:01:30.540 Uh, I watched her report from the pool deck at the Olympic games with my cousin, Rowdy Gaines.

00:01:37.180 I bet you guys did not know that Rowdy Gaines and I were cousins.

00:01:40.420 All that to say, I have watched and admired her for a very long time.

00:01:45.140 Uh, but that's not what makes her so compelling.

00:01:47.680 Of course, what makes her compelling today is that she didn't stop using her voice when it became uncomfortable.

00:01:54.940 Actually, that's really when she expanded it.

00:01:57.000 She's a long time Minnesota resident and she's become one of the most clear eyed and courageous voices speaking out about what's happening in her home state.

00:02:05.380 Whether that's the massive fraud scandals, whether that's the escalating protests, whether that's the collapsing public trust, uh, the political leadership that many Minnesotans feel has failed to deliver accountability and certainly transparency.

00:02:20.320 Uh, and so while others have stayed silent or decided to play it safe, Michelle has chosen to speak honestly and earnestly, even when that costs her.

00:02:30.700 And so today's conversation is about the current state of Minnesota, uh, where it's gone wrong, why it matters, why it matters nationally and what comes next.

00:02:39.980 Uh, she's also going to be sharing an important announcement about how she plans to confront these issues head on and how she plans on being a part of the solution.

00:02:48.660 But before we get into that, I want to mention a college success story spotlight presented to you by why refi, uh, today's spotlight is a touching story about the college football national championships.

00:02:59.440 So congratulations first and foremost to the Indiana Hoosiers, but more specifically to their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.

00:03:06.440 Uh, I love his story because it's about more than just football.

00:03:10.280 Uh, it's about character.

00:03:11.360 Uh, he has described many times in his post game press conferences, of course, in his Heisman trophy award speech, uh,

00:03:18.580 that he plays for his mom and he plays for his family and he pays for Jesus Christ.

00:03:22.420 Why refi understands that your life is about more than just a balance on a screen.

00:03:26.520 Uh, it's about your family and it's about your future.

00:03:28.580 They help you manage your debt so you can focus on what actually matters.

00:03:32.140 So thank you.

00:03:32.780 Why refi make sure you stay tuned and listen to this episode with Michelle Tafoya for a very important and exciting announcement.

00:03:41.300 Well, Michelle, thank you for joining the Riley gain show.

00:03:44.080 Uh, before we get into anything, Oh, please, before we get into anything, I want to get your thoughts on the college football national championship.

00:03:52.820 Um, I always love to see a team like Indiana and players like Fernando Mendoza have the success that they certainly had all season.

00:04:01.460 Uh, the last two undefeated football and basketball national champions reside in Bloomington, Indiana.

00:04:07.680 Isn't that crazy?

00:04:09.480 It's wonderful.

00:04:10.520 It, what a great American sports story.

00:04:12.960 I mean, this kid, Fernando Mendoza, this coach, they, they linked up and started just kind of became the base of this incredible team in this wonderful season.

00:04:24.280 Uh, and to go undefeated for him to win the Heisman and to bring home the national title and watching his parents in the stands, it was all so good.

00:04:32.700 Uh, and look, Miami put up a great defense and they had a shot there at the end, but it just seemed like the moment Mendoza scored that touchdown on fourth and five, this game turned and it was just, it was just magic.

00:04:46.200 Yeah, it was, it's one of those feel good stories.

00:04:50.840 You mentioned his mom.

00:04:51.900 Uh, I think one of the super cool things that I've noticed about college football in general, not just the playoffs or the national championship, especially this past year is just how many teams centered Jesus and their personal relationship with Christ and everything that they did win or loss.

00:05:08.940 Indiana, of course, was a leader in that.

00:05:10.760 I mean, we mentioned Mendoza, their quarterback.

00:05:12.600 I believe he was a leader in that.

00:05:14.020 Uh, I, we've got a video playing on screen right now.

00:05:18.100 This is the team last night before they won.

00:05:29.020 And so as a former sideline reporter, is this something that you've noticed, um, has emerged in the past few years?

00:05:39.700 You know, I think so.

00:05:41.160 Uh, I can remember seeing, uh, prayer groups after a game where both teams, you know, who had just fought it out on the gridiron for a win or a loss, uh, they'd get together in a prayer circle at the middle of the field.

00:05:54.100 Very often as the sideline reporter, you're waiting for that post-game interview and they're like, hang on, he's in the prayer circle.

00:05:59.220 Uh, and I, I saw more and more of those as the years went on.

00:06:02.700 So it seems like, yes, a number of players and even coaches, you look at the Harbaugh's, for example, uh, they're very vocal about their faith.

00:06:10.580 And, and I think it's a great example to young athletes across America.

00:06:15.580 Absolutely.

00:06:16.400 And I think a sign of a cultural revival, uh, now to Minnesota.

00:06:21.800 Minnesota has been in the headlines the past few weeks, uh, really actually the past few years.

00:06:26.640 Back in 2020, of course, it was the BLM riots. 0.76

00:06:29.520 Now it's an array of things like billions of dollars of fraud being uncovered.

00:06:34.980 Uh, president Trump mentioned just this week, $19 billion, which seems to be just the tip of the iceberg.

00:06:41.300 Uh, we've seen ice protests.

00:06:43.000 We've seen Don Lemon in the state of Minnesota, which I want to ask you about in a second.

00:06:47.280 Some people say that the state, I think oftentimes this is coming from people who don't live in the state of Minnesota.

00:06:52.780 Uh, they say that the state is just simply too far gone, but you're a longtime Minnesotan.

00:06:58.540 From your perspective, what is the solution here?

00:07:02.660 If I felt that the state was too far gone, I wouldn't be running for Senate.

00:07:06.340 Um, so we do have a crisis of leadership because we have had just this constant flow of career politicians like Tim Walls, our governor, running things.

00:07:15.240 And frankly, running them into the ground.

00:07:17.000 And it is not going to be these career politicians who clean things up.

00:07:21.240 So some of us have to step up and clean up this mess.

00:07:24.500 You know, I've lived in Minnesota, as you mentioned, for a long time, over 30 years, raised my family here.

00:07:30.360 And I can remember the Minnesota that had safe streets and clean cities and tight-knit communities and excellent public schools.

00:07:37.940 But we have gone backwards.

00:07:40.420 I mean, 50% of our kids can't read or do math at grade level.

00:07:44.880 Think about that.

00:07:45.640 What a disservice to these kids.

00:07:47.660 We've got crime on the rise and incarcerations trending downwards.

00:07:51.080 So people are committing crimes.

00:07:52.340 And it's just a turnstile, our criminal justice system.

00:07:56.340 So there's a lot that we have to work on.

00:07:59.960 But if I didn't think it was fixable, I wouldn't be sitting right here.

00:08:04.340 Oh, Michelle, I'm so excited for you.

00:08:07.980 You had texted me the other day, you know, call me.

00:08:10.680 And I was so crossing my fingers, praying, hoping that you would be telling me that you were going to be running for something.

00:08:19.300 And, of course, you mentioned Tim Walls.

00:08:21.280 We talked to Nick Shirley on the show that the day Tim Walls withdrew his 2026 gubernatorial re-election bid.

00:08:28.620 Any chance he runs for Senate?

00:08:30.380 I mean, I would imagine not just with the scrutiny that he's under.

00:08:34.060 And quite frankly, you would wipe the floor with him on a debate stage.

00:08:37.960 Well, I don't think so.

00:08:39.760 I think at the moment he knows that he is in trouble, and that's why he withdrew.

00:08:44.000 So I don't think there's any office that Minnesotans want to see Tim Walls in right now.

00:08:48.380 We want change.

00:08:49.740 And I think we really need outsiders.

00:08:51.360 And I think Minnesotans of all political stripes feel that way.

00:08:55.200 They see this.

00:08:56.160 They're not blind. 0.72

00:08:57.100 They're not dumb. 0.55

00:08:57.860 They know something is amiss in Minnesota.

00:09:00.900 I mean, as you mentioned, we've turned into somewhat of a war zone here over the last several weeks with all of these protests and, you know, Don Lemon showing up and the rest.

00:09:10.220 We can do better, and we know that.

00:09:12.520 And I think there are so many Minnesotans who believe in the future of this state.

00:09:16.220 And I would ask them to please go to michelletafoya.com and help us get started because we're going to need all the help we can get.

00:09:24.080 This is a tough road to hoe. 1.00

00:09:25.900 This is going to be a slog.

00:09:27.260 We need help.

00:09:28.100 So anyone that wants to help, please do join us because we're going to need you.

00:09:33.460 Yeah, you have to imagine that the people protesting, specifically in Minneapolis, it just can't be the majority of how Minnesotans feel, whether it's illegal immigration, whatever the topic is.

00:09:46.900 I've got a clip I want to show you from Target in Minneapolis.

00:09:51.760 Let's play it right here.

00:09:52.460 We are one.

00:09:54.660 We won't stop fighting.

00:09:56.340 We won't stop fighting.

00:09:58.340 Ice is gone.

00:09:59.940 The ice is gone.

00:10:01.240 Oh, we're one.

00:10:02.960 Till love has won.

00:10:05.860 We'll be back.

00:10:07.720 We'll be back.

00:10:08.700 So Target parking lots have been a meeting place for ICE agents.

00:10:14.160 ICE agents are using the toilets of Target.

00:10:16.440 So they're facilitating this invasion.

00:10:19.440 They're serving as a staging ground.

00:10:21.740 And they're not standing up and saying, no, our parking lots are private property.

00:10:26.120 You can't be in our space.

00:10:27.480 You can't enter our space.

00:10:28.860 They're not at all participating in challenging this ethnic cleansing we're seeing in this country. 0.97

00:10:37.060 So ICE agents are using their parking lot and you have people inside Target protesting.

00:10:42.460 I think what I got from this is, look, a few years back, Target went just about as woke as you can possibly go with all of the different tucking bathing suit options for kids, nonetheless.

00:10:54.800 And even still, that is not good enough for these left wing protesters.

00:10:59.760 They still have an issue with them.

00:11:02.160 Well, this is the far left in Minnesota, and maybe even some of these are agitators from outside Minnesota.

00:11:09.220 I want to point to one of the words that he used there.

00:11:12.420 He called it an invasion.

00:11:14.260 And the reason he called it an invasion was because Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry gave him permission to call it an invasion because that's what they've been calling it.

00:11:24.680 Let's let's talk about why we're here.

00:11:27.280 Under Joe Biden, the border was thrown wide open.

00:11:30.020 We could not possibly vet everyone that came into our country. 1.00

00:11:34.140 And so we had terrorists come through and we had criminals come through and we've arrested lots of them nationwide and lots of them here in Minnesota.

00:11:42.740 So why are we leaning into to federal law enforcement to get this done?

00:11:47.240 Because local law enforcement isn't and local law enforcement isn't helping out.

00:11:52.120 So to pick a political fight with the White House, Tim Walz, Jacob Fry, they've decided to say, oh, look, this is fascist.

00:11:58.760 It's racist.

00:11:59.720 And this is an invasion.

00:12:01.160 And they have really fanned the flames and basically set up a permission structure for people to go out and put their cars on the line, put their bodies on the line, throw things at these officers.

00:12:12.680 And it's just been a complete abandonment of law and order.

00:12:16.880 I believe in law and order.

00:12:18.340 We need it back.

00:12:19.220 That's another one of these crises in Minnesota.

00:12:21.060 It's a crisis of law enforcement.

00:12:22.880 And that's why I'm running.

00:12:23.940 Yeah, it's it would be a scary time to be a law enforcement officer, especially in a blue state, a blue city like Minneapolis.

00:12:34.540 You mentioned some of those illegal aliens that ICE is working to arrest and deport in Minneapolis.

00:12:39.800 We've got a tweet from Secretary Noem right here that says that they've arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and raining terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Fry refused to protect their own people and instead protect criminals.

00:12:53.420 She goes on to say in the last six weeks, our brave DHS law enforcement have arrested 3000 criminal illegal aliens, including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles and incredibly dangerous individuals.

00:13:05.140 She then went on to post a thread of, I mean, at least 20 photos and descriptions of what these illegal aliens have been arrested for.

00:13:15.320 We've got one here that says a criminal illegal alien, a known MS-13 gang member.

00:13:20.500 He's been convicted of homicide, drug trafficking and selling amphetamine, arrested also for aggravated homicide in El Salvador in 2011, yet still managed to make it into this country.

00:13:30.940 We've got another one here that says a criminal illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal dated from December of 2016.

00:13:37.620 He's been convicted of sexual assault against a child, sexual assault, carnal abuse and four DUIs.

00:13:44.280 I mean, this could keep going on.

00:13:46.220 And so my question for you, Michelle, is do you think the people protesting ICE realize that these are just a few of many just like them that ICE is working to deport?

00:13:58.000 Or do you think they genuinely care more about these people than, let's say, the children that they're sexually assaulting?

00:14:04.820 You know, it's interesting who we've decided or these groups have decided to protect in this way.

00:14:10.840 And what's unfortunate is that, you know, you've had local police departments, state, county police officers put life and limb at risk to arrest these people.

00:14:22.120 They put them in jail and then they're released.

00:14:25.100 They do not hold them for ICE.

00:14:27.420 They do not allow that here in Minnesota.

00:14:29.380 So then what happens?

00:14:30.500 Those same criminals go back on the street and now you've got to have an ICE law enforcement official risk life and limb to go apprehend that criminal.

00:14:39.700 It makes no sense.

00:14:41.300 And it just sets up for a dangerous environment for law enforcement and for the citizens.

00:14:47.600 So this is just insanity and it needs to change.

00:14:51.260 And that's why I'm running.

00:14:52.360 We need new blood.

00:14:54.140 We need outsiders with a spine to say enough is enough.

00:14:59.380 Yeah.

00:15:00.160 And now I mentioned Don Lemon for a little bit of context for the listeners, if they don't know what I'm talking about.

00:15:06.880 This past Sunday, a group of anti-ICE protesters disrupted a worship service at City's Church in St. Paul.

00:15:14.780 The disruption brought the service to a halt.

00:15:18.020 Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, now, I guess, independent journalist, if you will, was on the scene.

00:15:23.940 He was live streaming the invasion.

00:15:25.780 Here's a clip of him with the protesters outside before entering the church.

00:15:30.960 Speaking to an organization there that's gearing up to for resistance and protest.

00:15:34.940 Diverse community.

00:15:35.580 If you see this, when we first pulled up, we're like, wait a minute, which operation are we at?

00:15:39.180 Because we were like, well, this is kind of MAGA coded, right?

00:15:41.780 So the American flag or whatever.

00:15:43.040 But these are resistance protesters.

00:15:44.880 They're planning an operation that we're going to follow them on.

00:15:46.720 I can't tell you exactly what they're doing, but it's called Operation Pull-Up.

00:15:50.520 After that, after we do this operation, you'll see it live.

00:15:53.280 And these operations are surprise operations.

00:15:55.080 Again, I can't tell you where they're going.

00:15:56.520 Yeah.

00:15:57.160 Notice how he says it was MAGA coded because there was an American flag.

00:16:01.240 The other side is used to flying the Somalian flag, the Ukrainian flag, the Venezuelan flag, insert name of any other country other than the United States.

00:16:11.740 He later defended his presence and reporting as, you know, a heroic act of journalism that's protected by the First Amendment,

00:16:19.300 saying that he did not know in advance that the group would enter the church and was simply chronicling the events.

00:16:25.980 Here's a clip of him inside the church talking with the pastor.

00:16:30.100 Remain good. Remain good. Don't shoot. Don't shoot.

00:16:35.480 Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are your people?

00:16:38.820 Why are you not at Whipple every day fighting for the humanity, standing for our people?

00:16:44.180 You drink your coffee, you got your jewelry, you have your nice clothes, but what do you do?

00:16:48.520 What do you do to stand for your Somali and Latino communities?

00:16:51.200 All these comfortable white people who are living lavish, comfortable lives while children are dragged into concentration camps. 0.54

00:16:58.100 You're living real nice lives with your lattes, doing absolutely nothing for your Latino and Somali brothers and sisters.

00:17:03.780 You come here to a man wearing a suit as a preacher? Did Jesus wear a suit? Did Jesus profit off the words? No.

00:17:10.640 You are a fake Christian. Why are you not standing with your Somali and Latino communities? 1.00

00:17:15.500 You're sinners. You're pretending to be Christians. 1.00

00:17:17.700 But we know you live an easy life, don't you? A very easy life while people are starving. Shame.

00:17:22.720 I mean, this would be certifiably terrifying. I mean, this protester, he's yelling at what appears to be like teenage girls in this clip.

00:17:34.820 You know, there were families in there. We've seen the picture famously posted by Nicki Minaj of the little child who was crying into the chest of an adult next to him.

00:17:44.340 And this is awful. And if Don Lemon didn't know they were going into the church, but then followed them into the church, he went in.

00:17:54.520 And that, to me, I'm not a lawyer, but what I do know is there's something called the FACE Act.

00:18:00.240 And you cannot take over a place of worship like this in the middle of what they're doing and do this.

00:18:08.440 It's intimidating. It's terrifying, particularly when you consider some of the attacks on churches and synagogues across America, and particularly here, Annunciation here in Minneapolis.

00:18:18.940 So I feel for those people who were involved. And that rant, that's just not how most Minnesotans feel.

00:18:28.260 And so, yeah, again, this is a crisis of leadership. There was no law enforcement there to help.

00:18:33.480 This was disgusting, despicable, and unacceptable.

00:18:38.440 Yeah, we've now seen where Harmeet Dillon and the Department of Justice is launching an investigation into what federal charges, if any, can be pressed here.

00:18:49.200 President Trump has responded. He said that he's seen the footage. He says these people are professionals, the protesters.

00:18:56.120 He said that no person acts the way that they act. He says that they're highly trained to scream, to rant, to rave like lunatics in a certain manner, just like they are doing.

00:19:07.540 Like I said, Don Lemon was inside the church. He followed the protesters. He spoke to the pastor.

00:19:13.440 After the fact, when he kind of became the face of this, he ran to Jennifer Welch's podcast to justify his actions. Let's listen to that interaction here.

00:19:23.000 There's a certain degree of entitlement. I think people who are, you know, in religious groups like that, it's not the type of Christianity that I practice, but I think that they're entitled.

00:19:31.940 And that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a white supremacy. And they think that this country was built for them, that it is a Christian country, when actually we left England because we wanted religious freedom.

00:19:42.720 It's religious freedom, but only if you're a Christian and only if you're a white male, pretty much. 0.63

00:19:46.860 And so, yeah, absolutely, 100%. But it's an intimidation tactic. And, you know, I said, I don't understand how I've become the face of it when I was a journalist.

00:19:55.520 I do understand that. I'm the biggest name there. And I'm also, as I was on with my producers this morning, you know, you and Kylie talk all the time.

00:20:02.520 My producers were saying, I said, how did I become the face of this? And my producer said, Don, you're a gay black man in America. 0.82

00:20:07.300 Like, I'm honestly confused at what he's trying to get at there. Like, is he saying that because he is a gay black man that he's oppressed in America? 0.95

00:20:16.280 Like, if he can't recognize the fortune that he has in front of him, not just in terms of wealth and money, but the opportunities for success that he has had, like, I think he's too far gone.

00:20:27.800 Like, how is he? What is he trying to say here?

00:20:30.800 I have no idea. To me, that was a massive word salad. But the bottom line is, this has been fomented by the radical left.

00:20:40.640 This has been fomented by career politicians who have wanted to fan these flames. And now they're getting this as a result.

00:20:48.800 This is a lack of leadership, not just in Minnesota, but across the country, but particularly here.

00:20:54.900 And we need to get people in place who are sane and who want to enforce the law and keep people safe.

00:21:03.040 And by the way, the First Amendment protects freedom to worship as well. That was infringed upon there.

00:21:09.180 So this was chaotic. It was, I think, cruel and despicable.

00:21:16.500 And again, I think we need just sanity and normalcy back here in Minnesota.

00:21:21.360 None of this performative stuff is helping, right?

00:21:23.680 These are performances. They're not creating any results. They're just getting people clicks.

00:21:29.080 So let's get some leaders to step up, to calm everything down, and to say, could we please follow the law?

00:21:37.660 Could we please keep our law enforcement safe? Could we please keep our citizens safe?

00:21:41.720 Those are the things that are driving me, Riley.

00:21:45.520 You talk about performance and doing things for clicks.

00:21:50.580 Let's play this video of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry.

00:21:53.440 And I have a message for ICE. 0.99

00:21:57.560 To ICE, get the f*** out of Minneapolis. 0.99

00:22:01.720 Every video I see of him, it's like he has to drop the F-bomb. 0.99

00:22:06.620 Like, why must they incessantly curse? I don't understand who it appeals to.

00:22:11.220 And you're right. They've talked about toning down the rhetoric.

00:22:13.800 We've heard it from Tim Walls. We've heard it from the mayor.

00:22:16.560 We've heard it from the Attorney General, Keith Ellison.

00:22:19.080 This doesn't sound like toning down the rhetoric to me.

00:22:22.980 This is the inflammation I was telling you about.

00:22:25.820 I mean, first we threw the border wide open.

00:22:28.340 Then we, you know, they told us, these career politicians told us that to enforce the law was fascist and racist.

00:22:35.480 And now, you know, they're setting up this environment for all of this chaos.

00:22:40.440 So this is where new leadership needs to come in.

00:22:43.200 Look, Minnesota keeps doing the same thing over and over and electing these people over and over.

00:22:48.460 So we need a change.

00:22:50.740 And I think people see that.

00:22:52.360 People want to feel safe in their churches.

00:22:55.400 People want to feel safe in their homes and the streets, you know, downtown.

00:22:59.900 And right now, when you've got a mayor like this and you've got a governor like we have, those things aren't happening.

00:23:06.500 They are too concerned about the politics of all of it.

00:23:10.260 And they don't care about Minnesotans.

00:23:11.980 And the media doesn't care either.

00:23:13.300 They're just concerned about picking the fight.

00:23:17.900 So what needs to be fixed?

00:23:20.300 I mean, when you win, what are the issues in Washington, D.C. that will be a priority for you?

00:23:28.460 Well, I think that the main priority is the word that everyone talks about, right?

00:23:32.120 It's affordability.

00:23:33.020 But the middle class is in crisis, particularly here in Minnesota.

00:23:36.600 I mean, they're being crushed by taxes.

00:23:39.440 And, you know, some prices are still too high.

00:23:42.180 It's good to see gasoline at the lowest prices in five years.

00:23:45.040 It's good to see GDP up.

00:23:46.680 But we've still got to continue to bring prescription drug prices down.

00:23:50.240 We've got to get groceries down a little bit lower.

00:23:52.960 Things need to be affordable.

00:23:54.180 Rent, mortgage, energy, those things need to be affordable for middle class families.

00:23:58.460 So that is all very important.

00:24:00.080 I would say health care as well.

00:24:01.600 The Affordable Care Act isn't affordable.

00:24:04.060 So we need to work on those things and give power and transparency back to the citizens instead of having all these layers and layers of bureaucracy that fatten up the education system, that fatten up the health care system, and keep, you know, just sort of widening this divide between the people and the actual product.

00:24:22.820 So those are things we can certainly work on when I'm in the Senate.

00:24:27.980 Last thing, will you tell us your website again and what we can do to support you and your candidacy?

00:24:34.180 Thank you.

00:24:34.820 It's michelletafoya.com.

00:24:36.640 Please go there.

00:24:37.280 Chip in anything you can.

00:24:38.260 This is going to be a tough slog, Riley.

00:24:39.920 You mentioned it.

00:24:40.820 This is a blue state.

00:24:41.840 This is not going to be easy.

00:24:43.240 It's not easy for Republicans.

00:24:45.420 So we're going to need every bit of help we can get, no matter how small.

00:24:49.120 So if people can go visit and find out what they can help with, that would be great.

00:24:53.420 And just keep amplifying the message.

00:24:55.140 We need a change in Minnesota.

00:24:57.720 We need new leadership.

00:24:59.380 This state is at a tipping point.

00:25:01.740 I really believe that.

00:25:02.740 But I also believe it's worth saving.

00:25:04.280 So go to michelletafoya.com.

00:25:06.520 Help us do the work.

00:25:09.340 You're the best, Michelle.

00:25:10.400 Thank you very, very much.

00:25:12.120 Thanks so much for having me, Riley.

00:25:14.840 We'll see you next time.

Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines - January 21, 2026

Michele Tafoya’s Big News & Plans ｜ The Riley Gaines Show

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