Former “Sunday Night Football” sideline reporter and Minnesota U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya is facing backlash after incorrectly claiming that nearly 30% of Californians are homeless on any given night.
Tafoya is running in the Republican primary, seeking the Senate seat held by Democrat Tina Smith, who announced she would not seek re-election. Tafoya appeared on the Fox News show “Gutfeld!” on Thursday to discuss a variety of topics including her campaign when she used an incorrect statistic about California.
“Almost 30% of Californians are homeless on any given night,” Tafoya said. “30%. That is the largest margin by far … I think it’s 28, so close to 30% of their population is homeless on a given night.”
As of July 1, 2025, U.S. Census Bureau data estimates California’s population at 39.3 million, meaning, if Tafoya’s claim of even 28% were accurate, roughly 11 million people would be unsheltered.
It is unclear whether Tafoya was referencing a 2020 Senate fact sheet on homelessness in California. The report found the state accounted for 28% of the country’s unsheltered population, which equated to 161,548 people.
“Tafoya was born in California, so it’s not unreasonable to expect her to know key facts about her home state or understand math,” author Michael Brodkorb wrote on X.
“She is not a serious person IMO,” another X user wrote.
Tafoya did have at least one defender.
“Folks misspeak and make mistakes,” an X user wrote. “At least that’s what we were told by all y’all Democrats when Biden stepped up to the mic.”
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