Michele Tafoya Faces Criticism After Incorrect Claim About California Homelessness Rate

Former “Sunday Night Football” sideline reporter and current U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya revealed a false statistic about California homelessness on television, sparking outrage.

Tafoya, a Minnesota Republican senatorial candidate, made the statement on Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” on Thursday. In discussing her campaign and politics, she said “almost 30% of Californians are homeless on any given night.” Her estimate was that 28% of the state’s population lacks housing, the biggest margin.

Official data contradicts that.

As of July 1, 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau anticipates 39.3 million Californians. About 11 million people would be homeless if 28% of residents were. Those numbers greatly exceed official homelessness counts.

Federal homelessness statistics differs. A 2020 Senate fact sheet on homelessness in California indicated that 28% of the nation’s unsheltered population lived there. Importantly, that statistic was California’s percentage of the US homeless population, not 28% of Californians. It projected 161,548 unsheltered state residents, a substantial issue but not the millions mentioned in Tafoya’s televised remarks.

Political analysts and critics have noted the large discrepancy between these figures. Michael Brodkorb wrote on social media that Tafoya was born in California, thus he should know key information about the state.

Tafoya is running to replace Democratic Senator Tina Smith, who indicated she would not run again. As the Minnesota Senate election draws national attention, candidates’ words will be scrutinized.

Homelessness remains a major policy concern in California and beyond. Government officials and politicians often discuss housing development, public finance, mental health services, and local government coordination. Data is crucial to those debates. Misinterpreting or misstating statistics can confuse voters and distract from policy discussions based on confirmed data.

Political elections can feature impassioned debate, especially on community-affecting issues like homelessness. Official federal and state data underpins informed public debate. The Census Bureau estimates population, but federal homelessness records show housing insecurity.

Candidates from both parties will likely discuss national and state issues as the Minnesota Senate primary approaches. Voters examine policy stances and public remarks for accuracy and believability.

The argument is over the veracity of data reported in a nationwide broadcast, not homelessness itself. It’s important to distinguish between a state with 28% of the nation’s homeless and 28% of its own. Anyone following the argument must understand that difference.

Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau
United States Senate homelessness fact sheet (2020)
Fox News “Gutfeld!” broadcast transcript
Public statement by Michael Brodkorb