Former Minnesota Vikings captain Jack Brewer described Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary as a “warning shot to America,” while praising Michele Tafoya as a credible conservative capable of winning over Minnesota Democrats and independent voters.
“It’s good when you see the darkness before you,” Brewer said when asked about El-Sayed. “You see exactly what we’re up against as Americans when we have our major cities, major states, with folks like this winning primaries—on the verge of having control of populations of that size.”
“I mean, it’s scary, man,” he continued. “It should be a warning shot to America, a warning shot of really where our country is.”
Brewer said President Donald Trump’s election victory did not eliminate the political and cultural problems he sees across the country.
“When President Trump won the election, it didn’t fix everything,” he said. “We’ve got a lot, lot of things to fix. And it’s pretty scary when you start to see these radical leftists starting to gain more and more power across the country.”
El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit public health director, narrowly defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. He will face Republican Mike Rogers in November.
El-Sayed ran on a progressive platform that includes Medicare for All, higher taxes on billionaire wealth, campaign-finance reform and an end to unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel.
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Brewer acknowledged that he had not closely followed El-Sayed before the primary campaign entered its final stages.
“Man, I didn’t know much about him, to be honest with you,” Brewer said. “As the election became closer and closer, you started to hear and see stories and hear the things that he says.”
Brewer did not identify a particular El-Sayed policy or statement that concerned him. Instead, he repeatedly characterized the candidate as “radical” and “confused.”
“All I can think about is radical, right? And confused,” Brewer said. “It just seems like everything that comes out of his mouth is confusion.”
“If he’s speaking confusion, that means we have a voting populace that’s confused themselves to be following a guy like this,” he added.
El-Sayed’s victory occurred in Michigan, not Minnesota. He is not running against Tafoya. The two races were discussed together as examples of the broader national battle between progressive and conservative candidates in the 2026 midterms.
On the other side, Brewer was happy to see Michele Tafoya’s victory in Minnesota’s Republican U.S. Senate primary.
“I was very happy,” he said. “Michele Tafoya, who’s a friend and someone that I highly, highly respect—it’s good to see grounded conservative voices stepping up in that state.”
Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, won the Republican primary with 52.07% of the vote. Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze finished second with 23.96%, while former NBA player Royce White placed third with 11.15%, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota secretary of state.
Tafoya will face Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who defeated U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in the DFL primary.
“To see someone like herself, and someone that has a name and credibility, is important, especially being a Republican,” Brewer said. “You have the cards stacked against you in a lot of ways in a state like Minnesota.”
No Republican has won a statewide Minnesota election since 2006. Kamala Harris carried the state in the 2024 presidential election with 50.92% of the vote, compared with Trump’s 46.68%.
Despite that history, Brewer predicted that Tafoya could build a coalition extending beyond the Republican base.
“I think she has a chance to bring over enough Democratic voters and independents to win that election,” he said. “So I’m praying for her.”
Former NBA player Royce White, who unsuccessfully challenged Tafoya in the Republican primary. White has also recently announced his plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Brewer said he had met White several times and respected his effort to challenge the WNBA’s approach to transgender eligibility.
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“I’ve met Royce on a couple occasions,” Brewer said. “A lot of respect for him.”
White and former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom have announced plans to seek entry into the 2027 WNBA Draft. Their announcements are intended to test—or protest—the league’s eligibility rules by claiming that they identify as women for professional basketball purposes.
“I think what he’s doing, and Enes is doing, is they’re trying to stand up for women,” Brewer said.
The league has not declared White or Freedom eligible. It said this week that there were “no immediate eligibility matters” affecting the WNBA and denounced what it called bad-faith attempts to use the subject to demean or marginalize others.
The WNBA has not adopted a publicly available policy saying that surgery qualifies an athlete for the league. Medical organizations also note that transgender identity does not require surgery and that many transgender people never seek surgical treatment.
Asked what he would tell Vikings fans before the midterm elections, Brewer urged them to reject Minnesota’s current political leadership.
“Stop supporting foolishness,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
Brewer pointed to his own history in the state. He attended the University of Minnesota before playing for the Vikings and three other NFL teams.
“I lived in Minnesota for a long time,” he said. “I grew up a Vikings fan before I even got a chance to go play there. I went to the University of Minnesota—some of the greatest years of my life.”
“People have common sense in Minnesota,” Brewer continued. “My message to Minnesota is: Use the common sense that you have.
“Stop letting these people that have mental health issues represent you,” he said. “You have people that are psychologically not there, and you’re allowing them to represent the state of Minnesota.”
Brewer did not identify which officeholders he meant or provide evidence supporting that characterization.
At the same time, he praised Vikings fans as some of the most welcoming people he encountered during his professional football career.
“I played for four NFL teams, and there is nothing like a Minnesota Vikings fan,” Brewer said. “These people will have you at home at their dinner table. They will cook for you. They’re the most hospitable people in the world, the nicest, most purest people in the world.”
“And right now they’re being made a mockery of by the woke left,” he added. “I wouldn’t even call them progressive, because they’re not progressive. There’s nothing about progress associated with these leftists. They’ve lost their minds.”
Brewer is now a prominent Trump ally. He serves as chair of Opportunity Now and vice chair of the Center for 1776 at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative organization closely aligned with the Trump administration.
