ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Becky Scherr and Michael Brodkorb livestream Minnesota primary election night coverage as polls close, tracking early turnout and results from the Secretary of State website and discussing what the numbers may signal for November.
Joined by guests Billy Grant, Will Davis, David FitzSimmons, Julius Hernandez, and state auditor candidate Jay Reeves, they analyze key races as they develop: Michele Tafoya’s projected win in the GOP U.S. Senate primary, Lisa Demuth pulling ahead in the GOP governor’s race over Mike Lindell and Kendall Qualls, Peggy Flanagan building a growing lead over Angie Craig in the DFL U.S. Senate primary, and Scott Jensen surging in the GOP state auditor race.
They also discuss election administration, campaign strategy, party unity, the GOP endorsement process after primaries, fundraising challenges, and the fraud issue’s impact on the general election.
00:00 — Live Primary Night Kickoff, Turnout Talk, and Voting Stories: Opening remarks from a live primary night broadcast, turnout discussion, and voting stories from around the state ahead of the first results.
10:13 — Early Results, Race Predictions, and Certification: Early returns roll in, race-by-race predictions, and a breakdown of certification and endorsement dynamics as the night takes shape.
39:20 — Results Roll In: Lindell vs. Demuth: A real-time breakdown of the governor’s race results as Lindell and Demuth trade leads, with analysis of what the numbers mean as precincts report.
01:15:11 — Anoka County Shockwaves and the Demuth Surge: Anoka County results shift the race, the Demuth surge takes hold, and the hosts assess what the numbers mean for party unity heading out of primary night.
01:48:32 — Post-Primary Strategy and New Guest: A new guest joins to assess the post-primary landscape, what the results mean for Republican strategy, and how campaigns need to reposition heading into the general.
02:04:46 — Tear Gas, Turnaround, and the GOP Unity Problem: A break down of a dramatic turnaround moment and a frank assessment of the Republican Party’s unity problem coming out of the primary.
02:13:23 — Auditor Race, Jay Reeves, and DFL Senate Results: Results and analysis from the state auditor race featuring Jay Reeves, followed by a breakdown of the DFL Senate primary outcome.
02:34:05 — Prediction Markets Debate, Final Takes, and Wrap Up:A debate over what prediction markets got right and wrong, final takes from the hosts and guests, and closing thoughts from a long primary night.
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