Advertise on podcast: THE BRODCAST

Welcome back to THE BRODCAST. Episode three brings the show’s first guest, and it was recorded on a day when the news would not wait. Hours before Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant sat down with State Rep. Max Rymer (R-North Branch), the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota announced charges against an 18-year-old accused of planning a mass shooting at the Mall of America. The arrest followed a week of gang-related gunfire in Edina, Eden Prairie, and Bloomington, including a shooting outside the Eden Prairie homecoming game. That sets up the question now hanging over every Minnesota race: Does public safety change the dynamics less than a month before the election? Rymer, a first-term legislator from Chisago County who ran Scott Jensen’s 2022 campaign for governor, describes what the 67-67 House looked like from the inside. He explains how the DFL’s position on fraud shifted from denial to “it happens everywhere” to “we always cared,” why his bill on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement hit a wall, and why he thinks Minnesota may be heading toward a “blue state revolt.” After the interview, Michael and Billy walk through the criminal complaint, the FBI’s 21-month investigation, and the parents who rebuffed agents’ warnings while their son was still a minor. They debate how candidates should confront Somali gang violence without painting an entire community, why Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s December video has become a political liability, and why Michael gave Amy Klobuchar’s campaign an A+ for how fast it responded. But they don’t fully agree. Michael, a self-described “homeless Republican” who has never voted for Donald Trump and plans to split his ticket, makes the case for divided government. Billy says Republican candidates should talk only about public safety for the final four weeks. IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 Opening00:27 Welcome to THE BRODCAST00:56 Our first guest: Rep. Max Rymer01:55 The Mall of America plot and what it means 27 days out04:20 What Republican candidates are missing07:10 Has Minnesota’s compassion made us soft?11:19 Fraud: from denial to “we always cared”14:50 Taxes, HF 16, and hitting a brick wall in a tied House21:11 A “blue state revolt” in Minnesota?26:13 Billy: run the ads29:35 Debrief on our first interview31:27 Homeless Republican vs. Mr. MAGA on divided government32:44 Inside the Mall of America criminal complaint42:56 The FBI’s warning to parents45:56 A week of shootings in Edina, Eden Prairie, and Bloomington47:22 Mary Moriarty’s video and “a masterclass in gaslighting”49:18 How Trump broke brains on the left56:09 Klobuchar’s fast response57:04 How Billy would run this race59:11 What we’re watching Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant host THE BRODCAST. Politics. Power. What’s next? Subscribe to THE BRODCAST wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show for new episodes, clips, and conversations. Get full access to On The Record with Michael Brodkorb at michaelbrodkorb.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to THE BRODCAST. In Episode 2, Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant take on a Star Tribune report about more Minnesota Republican candidates distancing themselves from Donald Trump, sparked by GOP governor nominee Lisa Demuth’s break with the president over the war in Iran. Billy, from the MAGA lane, rejects the premise that candidates should abandon ship when the polls get tough. Michael, a self-described homeless Republican, presses on what that strategy costs in a statewide race. Then they land on the question every candidate gets asked: Where do you disagree with your party? They break down why that question should never be a gotcha, why failing to answer it is a bigger fumble than the answer itself, and how a convention lit piece casting the Demuth campaign as the race’s MAGA enforcer is now showing up in Democratic attacks. Then the debut of SPOT CHECK, THE BRODCAST’s new campaign ad review. Michael and Billy grade Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s “Brad” welfare ad, which drew its loudest backlash from the right, and debate whether the real mistake was the casting or the decision to double down. They also review the Minnesota DFL’s new Short on Demuth, and Michael explains why GOP influencers posting convention literature online handed opposition researchers a gift. Finally, a new segment: FROM THE STANDS. Billy reports from the Dawg Pound for the Browns’ 21-18 win over Carolina, Michael previews the 3-0 Vikings hosting Miami on Sunday, and the two talk Vikings quarterbacks. IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 Cold open00:29 Welcome to THE BRODCAST01:00 The big question: Minnesota Republicans and Trump02:07 Abandon ship or stay on message?05:37 Operation Metro Surge and the immigration balancing act06:17 The “MAGA cop” convention play10:03 “Where do you disagree with your party?”12:46 Demuth’s fumble14:06 SPOT CHECK debuts: Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s “Brad” ad16:00 Why “Brad” backfired with the right24:28 The real mistake: doubling down25:56 The DFL’s ad on Lisa Demuth28:35 Should we grade campaign ads?29:27 What the convention lit piece reveals35:06 Opposition research gold37:08 Way too online38:26 FROM THE STANDS: Billy in the Dawg Pound41:43 Vikings 3-0, Dolphins on deck42:15 The JJ McCarthy question45:24 What’s next for THE BRODCAST Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant host THE BRODCAST. Politics. Power. What’s next? Subscribe to THE BRODCAST wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show for new episodes, clips, and conversations. Got a campaign ad you want graded on SPOT CHECK? Send it our way. Get full access to On The Record with Michael Brodkorb at michaelbrodkorb.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to THE BRODCAST. In the first episode, Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant introduce the show, explain why two people who don’t always agree politically sat down together, and make the case for something increasingly rare in politics: honest disagreement without personal confrontation. Then they get to the big question: Is Minnesota immune from the national political environment? Michael and Billy examine the forces shaping the upcoming election, from voter enthusiasm and turnout operations to fundraising, campaign spending, messaging, affordability, fraud, and how national politics influences Minnesota races. They also discuss how campaigns identify vulnerabilities, respond to misinformation, and “inoculate” candidates before attacks take hold, and why the fundamentals of campaigning still matter even in an increasingly nationalized political environment. It’s the first conversation in what THE BRODCAST is designed to become: candid discussions about politics, campaigns, power, and the people and decisions shaping what happens next. IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 — Welcome to THE BRODCAST01:19 — Who are Michael and Billy?06:55 — Why do a podcast with someone you disagree with?09:24 — Respectful disagreement in modern politics12:50 — The stakes of the upcoming election14:37 — National political trends vs. Minnesota17:09 — Reading election trends19:57 — Campaign messaging and the issues that matter23:55 — Is Minnesota immune from the national environment?29:55 — Turnout operations and campaign infrastructure35:29 — Fraud, misinformation, and campaign strategy43:20 — Media narratives, fundraising, and campaign spending48:32 — What’s next for THE BRODCAST Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant host THE BRODCAST. Politics. Power. What’s next? Subscribe to THE BRODCAST wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show for new episodes, clips, and conversations. Get full access to On The Record with Michael Brodkorb at michaelbrodkorb.substack.com/subscribe

Something new is coming. Welcome to THE BRODCAST, a new podcast with Michael Brodkorb and Billy Grant about politics, power, and what’s next. From Minnesota to Washington, we’ll go beyond the headlines to talk about the people, campaigns, decisions, and dynamics shaping politics — what happened, why it matters, and what comes next. Expect candid conversations, different perspectives, sharp analysis, and the occasional disagreement. This is THE BRODCAST. Politics. Power. What’s next? Episode 1 premieres Friday, September 25. Subscribe now. Get full access to On The Record with Michael Brodkorb at michaelbrodkorb.substack.com/subscribe