A Break Down about the Election with Former Congressman Joe Walsh

[00:00:12] Welcome to The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky, a weekly podcast that breaks down politics, policy, and current affairs. I'm Becky Scherr.

[00:00:19] And I'm Michael Brodkorb.

[00:00:20] It is the week we have all been waiting for, Election Week. In a matter of hours or potentially days, but hopefully not weeks, we will have the results of the long-awaited presidential race.

[00:00:31] Today, we are pleased to welcome former Congressman Joe Walsh. Representative Walsh served Illinois' 8th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013.

[00:00:39] As part of the Republican Party, he has since been outspoken against former President Donald Trump and in recent months has been extremely active and vocal on the campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris.

[00:00:49] With Walsh, we will have a more profanity-laced episode as we discuss why he changed lanes and how he believes that Harris is better suited to lead our great nation.

[00:00:58] We will break down what he has been hearing on the campaign trail and what he anticipates will happen in this week's election.

[00:01:05] Then, Michael and I will break down our final thoughts ahead of the 2024 election, what we predict the outcomes will be up and down the ticket, and when we will know.

[00:01:12] Thanks for joining us and enjoy the show.

[00:01:18] We are very excited to be joined by former Congressman Joel Walsh today.

[00:01:22] Congressman, I'm excited to hear from you.

[00:01:25] Michael and I have talked a lot about why he has made the decision in this political environment that he has made when it comes to the presidential race.

[00:01:32] I know that you were outspoken against Trump back in 2020.

[00:01:37] Talk to us a little bit about your evolution, how you got to where you are today against Donald Trump and his views and the man that he is and why you're supporting Kamala Harris.

[00:01:48] Becky, it's great to be with you.

[00:01:50] Michael, it's great to be with you.

[00:01:51] In 20 seconds, my evolution.

[00:01:54] I was a Tea Party son of a bitch.

[00:01:56] I got elected in that Tea Party wave.

[00:01:59] I helped to divide the country because I was very extreme.

[00:02:03] I helped to bring us and I helped to get Trump elected in 2016.

[00:02:07] I voted for him in 2016.

[00:02:10] And then after he won, I started to pay attention to him and I said, my God, this is not what I want.

[00:02:15] And so then I very publicly turned against Trump in 2018.

[00:02:18] I tried to primary him in 2020.

[00:02:21] So I've been never Trumper now for a long time.

[00:02:24] It was, as Michael knows, it was a lonelier place to be a few years ago.

[00:02:30] But now, my God, I've never seen an organized effort from a political party like this, this Republicans for Harris thing.

[00:02:38] It's unbelievable.

[00:02:39] It's awesome.

[00:02:40] And I think it will make a real difference tomorrow for her.

[00:02:45] Fantastic.

[00:02:45] And now you've been out on the campaign trail.

[00:02:48] That's how you and Michael got connected recently.

[00:02:50] Talk to us a little bit about what it's like to not only be out there and vocal never Trumper, but be out there actively campaigning for the vice president and what you're hearing, what you're seeing and how the welcome or backlash has been.

[00:03:07] Both.

[00:03:07] It's been great.

[00:03:08] I've been in for the past three months.

[00:03:10] I've been in a battleground state one after another almost every day, primarily talking to independents and Republicans, trying to encourage them, give them the courage, give them the spark they need to come out publicly.

[00:03:26] Becky, you and Michael know it's look, it's not easy for a Republican to publicly say, I oppose my nominee and I'm supporting the other party's nominee.

[00:03:36] That's a big deal.

[00:03:38] So once you do that, like I've done that, you take a blowtorch to your career as a Republican.

[00:03:44] Adam Kinzinger, my friend and former colleague did that.

[00:03:47] A few of us have done that.

[00:03:48] I have very little patience for people like Nikki Haley and Chris Christie and Mitt Romney and Mike Pence who say Trump is unfit, but I can't support the candidate running against the guy who's unfit.

[00:04:00] But I beat them up too much.

[00:04:02] Here's why I'm hopeful tomorrow.

[00:04:04] In every state I've gone in, I've been bombarded by, bombarded by Republicans who've come up to me and said, Joe, I'm going to vote for her.

[00:04:16] I just can't say anything publicly.

[00:04:18] That's happened everywhere I go.

[00:04:20] And I get it.

[00:04:21] Michael knows this more than anybody.

[00:04:23] To be a local or state involved Republican and stand up in the public square and say, I oppose Donald Trump.

[00:04:31] Man, that takes a lot of courage for local Republicans to do because you live with these people.

[00:04:36] You're involved with these people.

[00:04:38] But I think there's a movement out there of Republicans, especially Republican women, who are going to quietly vote for her.

[00:04:47] And I don't think the polls have picked that up.

[00:04:51] Talk to me a little bit more because Michael just last week on the episode, Michael read some quote unquote mean tweets, some of the things that he's getting in his inbox.

[00:05:00] And we can laugh about them.

[00:05:02] It's certainly sad and unfortunate.

[00:05:05] That's where we are today.

[00:05:07] So as somebody who, like you said, you primaried Donald Trump, you obviously had and have a bright future.

[00:05:15] How was making that decision for you?

[00:05:19] Because that's not an easy decision to make, like you said, potentially derailing things.

[00:05:23] And obviously you've been welcomed very with open arms.

[00:05:26] You've found a lot of success in this.

[00:05:28] But talk to us about making that decision, because I have to imagine that was a tough one to take that first step to to be a Republican for Harris or be a vocal never Trumper.

[00:05:38] Becky, it's been hell at one level.

[00:05:42] The past six years have been hell.

[00:05:45] After Trump got elected in 2016, when he got elected, I was a nationally syndicated right wing radio host.

[00:05:52] I was on 200 markets around the country.

[00:05:55] I was on Fox News three or four times every day.

[00:05:58] I was going to be the next Rush Limbaugh.

[00:06:01] And I remember coming home two or three months after he first got elected.

[00:06:05] And I turned to my wife and I said to her, this won't end well for us.

[00:06:11] Michael can relate to this.

[00:06:13] Not you.

[00:06:13] You guys will get a kick out of this.

[00:06:15] When I got elected to Congress, I was the poorest member of Congress.

[00:06:21] 535 members of the House and Senate.

[00:06:23] I was the poorest.

[00:06:24] When Trump got elected in 2016, I was finally making money for the first time in my life as a right wing radio guy.

[00:06:33] But I threw that all away.

[00:06:35] I say cavalierly, I took a blowtorch to my career when I publicly came out against him.

[00:06:44] My father taught me, don't talk about yourself.

[00:06:47] And so I haven't spoken enough about what the impact was like.

[00:06:53] For six years, I have put up with a regular series of death threats on an almost daily basis.

[00:07:01] I've lost all of my supporters.

[00:07:03] I lost all of my followers.

[00:07:05] I lost almost all of my friends.

[00:07:07] I lost family members.

[00:07:09] I ended any chance I had to ever get elected again as a Republican.

[00:07:14] I lost my livelihood.

[00:07:16] Right wing media said goodbye to me.

[00:07:19] I put up with a thousand messages of hate every day.

[00:07:24] Death threats all the time.

[00:07:26] It's not easy.

[00:07:28] But Becky, it is easy because I couldn't imagine not doing it.

[00:07:35] Like I couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't come out publicly against him.

[00:07:41] But everything I just said that I've experienced and all the shit that Michael's experienced,

[00:07:46] this is why the vast majority of Republicans just bowed down to him.

[00:07:52] Why would you want to give up your seat in Congress?

[00:07:55] Why would you want to give up the Fox News gig?

[00:07:58] Why would you want to give up your talk radio career?

[00:08:00] Why would you want to get all that hate?

[00:08:02] Why would you want to lose all your supporters?

[00:08:05] So most Republicans just said, fuck it.

[00:08:07] I'm going to bow down to him and I'll buy into the team.

[00:08:10] I get it.

[00:08:11] It's been a very difficult thing to do.

[00:08:15] Becky, let me just say for a second that that's why it was so important that I wanted

[00:08:19] to close out one of our last shows before the election cycle with this man.

[00:08:23] I, he plowed the way for people like me to speak up.

[00:08:27] He created a path.

[00:08:27] He was a snowplow and cleared the lane for people like Republicans to like me to speak up.

[00:08:33] People who felt politically homeless, people who felt this wasn't a, if it wasn't for the

[00:08:37] Joe Walsh's of the world, I wouldn't be able to do what I did with it.

[00:08:41] And I've experienced to some degree, a lot of the same things he did.

[00:08:44] But this man was out there first in so many ways.

[00:08:48] And I'm so thought, I'm so impressed.

[00:08:50] So honored to meet him, have him on this podcast and got to meet him when he was in town 10 or

[00:08:55] roughly 10 days ago.

[00:08:57] He's a patriot.

[00:08:58] And I'm so impressed by what he does.

[00:09:01] And so many other Republicans have felt comfortable supporting Harrison Walls publicly and openly

[00:09:06] because of this guy.

[00:09:07] Well, all right, but Michael, shut up because I'll say the same damn thing about you because

[00:09:14] you did the same damn thing.

[00:09:16] You were a, you were a king, a Republican king in that state of Minnesota and you did

[00:09:25] the right thing.

[00:09:26] But look at all that you lost when this thing ends and hopefully she's going to win.

[00:09:32] Michael, people like you and me have to figure out what the hell are we going to do?

[00:09:36] So Thelma and Louise, Thelma and Louise.

[00:09:40] We'll talk about that.

[00:09:43] I want to hit a little bit.

[00:09:44] This morning I saw a piece that you put, you wrote for MSNBC, an opinion piece.

[00:09:49] And I think it really resonates with folks like myself because one thing that while I'm not

[00:09:54] a Republican for Harris, one thing that Michael and I have really talked a lot about over the

[00:10:00] last two years of our podcast is that we just don't really feel like the Republican Party anymore

[00:10:06] reflects our values, reflects our opinions and our thoughts and our policy choices.

[00:10:10] And you really hit home on this in this op-ed piece on the MSNBC.

[00:10:15] And we'll link to this as well.

[00:10:17] But one thing you talk about, there's a line that says, as the GOP devolved into an anti-democracy,

[00:10:21] authoritarian, embracing cult, Democrats have been able to simply point at the other guy and say,

[00:10:26] look, they're burning our house down.

[00:10:28] They're attacking our democracy.

[00:10:29] Vote for us.

[00:10:29] We're normal.

[00:10:30] And it's generally worked.

[00:10:31] And I think this is where I have some frustration with where we sit today because I don't identify

[00:10:38] with the mega lane on the right anymore and what the Republican Party has become under Donald Trump.

[00:10:45] But I have a lot of frustrations of the Democrats kind of just still going left and feeling they're

[00:10:51] just going to win so they can just do whatever the hell they want.

[00:10:55] And I think it's going to be a little bit about the election cycle.

[00:11:00] Becky, it's so interesting you bring up that piece that came out today.

[00:11:05] I wrote it last week and I was worried about writing it.

[00:11:08] I was worried about putting it out before the election because I figured I'd get shit from Democrats.

[00:11:14] And I have and I am because even though I've given up everything to help elect her and she must win

[00:11:22] for the sake of our democracy and our country, the Democrats have real issues.

[00:11:29] That because MAGA is so fucking batshit crazy,

[00:11:33] the Democrats have not had to address their issues for so long.

[00:11:39] And one of the points of the piece is, and this will sound bad, but if she wins,

[00:11:47] my worry is it will put off that hard conversation that Democrats have to have.

[00:11:54] If she loses, then Democrats are going to have that conversation immediately

[00:12:00] because fundamentally the Democratic Party has become an elitist, arrogant, woke party.

[00:12:06] They're not a party that talks and looks like me and Michael.

[00:12:10] You could put me and Michael into any fucking bar in this country

[00:12:13] and we can roll up our sleeves and talk to anybody.

[00:12:16] Regular folk.

[00:12:18] Democrats have become elitist.

[00:12:19] They've become the party of wealthy, suburban, college-educated folk

[00:12:25] who live in Manhattan or D.C. and they drink wine and all of that.

[00:12:29] And they're utterly out of touch with what regular Americans are genuinely pissed off about.

[00:12:36] And that's created a perfect opening for a demagogue like Trump.

[00:12:40] Trump succeeded in 16 because Hillary and the Dems were utterly out of touch with working class people.

[00:12:48] Remember, Hillary didn't even want to spend time campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan.

[00:12:52] And that's why she lost.

[00:12:53] So Democrats still have this problem.

[00:12:57] And I worry that if and when she wins, the Democrats are not going to do the tough work of figuring out why they have this problem.

[00:13:07] I hope they do.

[00:13:09] I'm hopeful that if, because I agree, my ultimate hope would be that if it is a Harris win,

[00:13:16] that we do have the Republicans successful in the House and Senate that maybe can bring some sort of balance back to things

[00:13:23] and maybe force the Democrats to have those conversations.

[00:13:26] But you also talk about the worry on the Republican side.

[00:13:30] You just elaborated on what happens if a Harris wins in the Democratic Party.

[00:13:34] But you say my biggest worry for the Republican Party is that a Trump win will be an absolute end for my former party.

[00:13:40] Mega Trump and Trumpism will have been fully validated.

[00:13:42] And there will be no turning back for the party of freedom, free markets, free trade and limited government.

[00:13:47] And while we only have a few minutes, so we can't get into all of that, Michael and I have talked a lot about how,

[00:13:52] despite what this mega crew believe, Trump is not a far right conservative, upstanding Republican as we know it.

[00:14:02] And I think all of these things you list off are really up for grabs if Trump does win.

[00:14:07] And so both parties have a lot of concerns, regardless of who wins.

[00:14:11] Any final thoughts on kind of that and your former party?

[00:14:15] Becky, here's my final thought.

[00:14:16] And thank you for bringing that up, because even though people are getting angry at me because of what I said about Democrats,

[00:14:23] it's about what happens if either party wins.

[00:14:26] If Trump wins, then forget about it.

[00:14:29] It's the MAGA party forever.

[00:14:31] Bad for the country, but bad for the Republican Party.

[00:14:34] It will be MAGA forever if Trump wins.

[00:14:39] And then people like Michael and I and Becky, you as well, we got to find a home.

[00:14:46] And if Trump wins, I think you'll see my own view is I think you'll see a new political party come to fruition pretty quickly.

[00:14:56] Kind of a center, common sense, let's get shit done, center-right party.

[00:15:01] I think it's going to come no matter what.

[00:15:03] But people like the three of us, no matter what, no matter who wins, have a decision to make.

[00:15:09] Because there are too many of us that we have to find a home.

[00:15:13] Joe, you have been generous with your time this entire election cycle.

[00:15:17] You've been generous today.

[00:15:18] I just want to thank you again for coming on for just a few minutes here just to get a jolt of energy.

[00:15:24] You know why I've been so generous?

[00:15:26] Why?

[00:15:27] Because I like you, but I love Becky.

[00:15:29] So that's great.

[00:15:31] Totally swayed me.

[00:15:33] It doesn't surprise me.

[00:15:34] She's a Packers fan like you, so it works out just great.

[00:15:37] So Joe, be safe.

[00:15:38] Where are you the next?

[00:15:39] Are you just ground zero?

[00:15:41] Are you traveling?

[00:15:42] Where are you the last few days?

[00:15:44] Last few hours, I should say.

[00:15:45] So yesterday was my last travel day.

[00:15:47] I was in Pennsylvania almost all day.

[00:15:49] Got home late.

[00:15:50] I'm back in D.C. right now.

[00:15:52] I'll be doing a lot of phone outreach to selective Republicans and independents in certain states all day.

[00:15:59] I'll be doing a lot of media.

[00:16:00] Tomorrow, I'll be doing a lot of media as well.

[00:16:03] Just spreading the word and hoping we can get over this hump and get this victory.

[00:16:07] Thank you for what you both are doing.

[00:16:09] Thank you.

[00:16:10] Be safe.

[00:16:11] Stay strong.

[00:16:11] And we will talk soon, sir.

[00:16:13] Thank you so much.

[00:16:14] Thanks, you too.

[00:16:16] Thank you.

[00:16:17] So Becky, I don't know if you've met Walsh before.

[00:16:20] What's your take?

[00:16:22] That was my first time.

[00:16:23] I'm listening.

[00:16:24] I think it's really, you and I have talked about this with you stepping out and that I commend you for doing that.

[00:16:30] I know it's tough and being willing to do that and go through all of the ups and downs is incredible.

[00:16:36] And the same with him.

[00:16:38] He's had this large career.

[00:16:41] He was a congressman.

[00:16:42] He challenged Trump in 2020.

[00:16:44] Like he said, he had this.

[00:16:46] He could have just coasted.

[00:16:48] He could have just sat back and swallowed his own thoughts and allowed this to continue.

[00:16:53] And he didn't.

[00:16:54] And I think we don't have enough people in politics these days who I believe are true believers in the Constitution, our country, what the founders intended.

[00:17:04] And it's really disappointing.

[00:17:34] And you and I both know how exhausting that campaign trail can be, especially when you have the mental component of folks in your DMs or in your Twitter feed just blasting you for that.

[00:17:45] It was great to chat with him.

[00:17:47] He's incredible.

[00:17:47] I appreciate you setting this up.

[00:17:49] And I just want to close again.

[00:17:50] We'll post this MSNBC opinion piece.

[00:17:53] But I think it really hits home to folks like me.

[00:17:56] And we'll get more into my thoughts and what I'm doing tomorrow on November 5th.

[00:18:01] But I think it really does hit on the issues that we have with both sides going into this election.

[00:18:07] And I appreciate that he is willing to acknowledge that he wants Harris to win.

[00:18:13] He thinks Harris needs to win.

[00:18:14] It's going to be the best for our country.

[00:18:16] But that the Democrats need to do some soul searching.

[00:18:18] And he's hopeful and cautiously optimistic that they'll get there.

[00:18:23] We'll see.

[00:18:24] We're just hours away.

[00:18:28] I am, first of all, let me say this to you, a couple things.

[00:18:31] I'm really glad you drove that part of the interview because one of the opportunities that one of the benefits, I think, in doing this podcast with you is you bring just an outside perspective to that kind of conversation that I had with Joe.

[00:18:42] I'm really glad how you frame that interview, how you frame those conversations.

[00:18:46] You really dialed down and you pulled out more than I think I would have gotten from him because he and I just would have talked and gabbed away.

[00:18:52] But you really pulled out some great stuff.

[00:18:55] So I appreciate you doing that.

[00:18:56] I will also say, I think Joe Walsh, and in all seriousness, I've never been like, boy, I really want to meet this person.

[00:19:05] I really want to meet this person.

[00:19:06] I really wanted to meet Joe Walsh this election cycle because when I came back from Iowa and was sitting down and looking through what I was doing, what I was going to do, what I was that time in the wilderness for a few days.

[00:19:18] I leaned into a lot of Republican materials, books, research and stuff that I had.

[00:19:23] I listened to some of Reagan's speeches and Bush's speeches and Cheney and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and stuff.

[00:19:29] I also listened to Joe Walsh.

[00:19:31] And so having him come to Minnesota, the opportunity that I've had to connect with him, but also this opinion piece that he wrote today with MSNBC.

[00:19:39] Joe Walsh is an honest broker.

[00:19:41] He plays his cards as he sees them.

[00:19:44] He's transparent.

[00:19:45] And I think he's offering incredibly balanced, thoughtful perspective.

[00:19:50] Sure.

[00:19:50] He has opinions.

[00:19:51] He's got very strong opinions.

[00:19:52] I like his opinions and I like his approach.

[00:19:54] And I'm really glad that he's so transparent about what he thinks and where he's at.

[00:20:01] And I will say this honestly, he did provide a bunch of cover.

[00:20:05] He did plow a lane.

[00:20:09] And so people like me, when I was out in Pennsylvania, I said the same to the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.

[00:20:15] I said the same thing to Adam Kinzinger.

[00:20:17] I said the same thing to a number of Republicans out there.

[00:20:20] People like those larger elected officials provided a lane and an opportunity for Republicans like me to somewhat feel safe doing this.

[00:20:28] And, yeah, it has been, it has been, on one hand, it's been incredibly positive in the sense that I've had a lot of fantastic conversations with a lot of principled Republicans who are really concerned about what's going to happen on Election Day.

[00:20:42] And I've had an opportunity to see how Democrats do things, how they run their campaigns and how they operate.

[00:20:49] So on that standpoint, it's been really positive.

[00:20:51] But behind the scenes, yes, I have received death threats, hate mail.

[00:20:57] I've had strained relationships with friends and colleagues.

[00:21:02] But I stand by what I did.

[00:21:04] And the fact that you and I are able to still do this podcast, again, I keep going back to this.

[00:21:09] And I'm not blaming you in any way.

[00:21:11] I'm not saying you're responsible.

[00:21:13] But what I am saying to you, Becky, is our ability to have conversations led me to this place.

[00:21:19] Our ability to talk and have conversations.

[00:21:22] And you're not responsible for the decisions I make.

[00:21:26] But I guarantee you the exercise of us talking and me listening to, look, let me just say this for a second.

[00:21:33] We've been doing this podcast for two years, just over two years.

[00:21:37] And for over two years, we've had a lot of Trump people on this episode.

[00:21:41] And I've listened and we've had conversations and they've been respectful.

[00:21:45] But I've done a lot of listening.

[00:21:47] I've done a lot of listening from the Republicans that have been on.

[00:21:50] And ultimately, I made this decision myself.

[00:21:53] But I guarantee you, first and foremost, my ability to communicate with other people has changed for the positive because of doing this podcast with you.

[00:22:02] But also my core beliefs in conservatism in the Republican Party and what I think needed to be done came from these conversations.

[00:22:09] Again, it's been really tough in some ways.

[00:22:12] I'm looking forward to the election tomorrow.

[00:22:15] But again, I'm just so appreciative of I really am appreciative and I'm really impressed on how you frame that 17, 16, 17 minutes with Joe Walsh.

[00:22:25] Because you are a pro and a professional.

[00:22:27] And I thought it was, I learned things in that interview that I wouldn't have got it if I let it.

[00:22:32] And Bravo, tip of the cap to you.

[00:22:34] Thank you.

[00:22:34] I do think it's funny how things break down.

[00:22:37] Oh, it's funny?

[00:22:37] Because I texted you before.

[00:22:38] No, I texted you before.

[00:22:39] And I said, you can lead this interview.

[00:22:42] You know him.

[00:22:43] You can lead it.

[00:22:44] No.

[00:22:44] And it just took over.

[00:22:45] So I appreciate that you're helping me.

[00:22:48] Becky, you are so good at this.

[00:22:50] And you are so good at this.

[00:22:52] And I'm so impressed.

[00:22:53] You're going places.

[00:22:55] I'll be digging ditches in a few months.

[00:22:57] You'll be going places.

[00:22:58] Speaking of going places, let's chat through what the next 24, 48 hours looks like.

[00:23:04] But you acknowledge I'm digging ditches in a few months.

[00:23:06] Thank you so much.

[00:23:07] Never.

[00:23:07] Where are we going, Becky?

[00:23:09] Where are we going?

[00:23:09] Let's get into kind of, we're going to run through the kind of top, obviously starting

[00:23:15] with presidential, down ballot.

[00:23:16] Let's chat through our predictions, our final thoughts, what we expect to happen.

[00:23:21] I want to start with the presidential race, obviously.

[00:23:24] Before I make some big, grandiose prediction of what I think will happen, I want to share

[00:23:31] where I'm ending up when it comes to the presidential race.

[00:23:35] It's something I've talked a lot about over the last couple of weeks and months that I have

[00:23:39] been undecided, trying to figure out where I'm going to stand and what I'm going to do.

[00:23:43] One of our gracious listeners tweeted over the weekend asking if I had made my decision.

[00:23:48] So I have to say, it's not super exciting.

[00:23:51] And so I'm sorry to disappoint our listeners.

[00:23:54] I am going to say I, Rebecca Scher, am a hypocrite.

[00:23:58] When we went back to the primary, we had a conversation about ride-in boats and whether

[00:24:03] it's a cop-out and what I think about them.

[00:24:06] I am riding in.

[00:24:07] I got to sitting here November 4th.

[00:24:11] I've been wavering with it day in and day out.

[00:24:13] And I just ultimately have decided I can't cast my ballot for either one, Harris or Trump.

[00:24:20] And so I am going to do a ride-in.

[00:24:22] But if you go back and listen to us when we talked about the prime during the primary,

[00:24:27] I said I don't buy it.

[00:24:28] I said ride-ins a throwaway.

[00:24:30] And I don't know that my thought on that has really changed.

[00:24:33] I just know that where I sit today, I have not been able to swing one way or the other

[00:24:39] and feel comfortable with that.

[00:24:41] And so I do think it's important to vote.

[00:24:43] I am going to be voting in person on November 5th.

[00:24:46] I am going to be voting up and down the ballot.

[00:24:49] And I'm excited for some of the races I do get a vote in.

[00:24:53] This one has really, more than ever since my time of being able to vote, has really,

[00:25:01] I've put a lot of time and thought into it.

[00:25:03] And it's been really tough for me.

[00:25:05] That's where I stand.

[00:25:05] And people are happy.

[00:25:07] I welcome any criticism on that because I do fundamentally think ride-ins are crap.

[00:25:13] So I know that I'm doing that and saying that and believing that all in one.

[00:25:17] I also think in 2016, I did not vote for Donald Trump.

[00:25:21] I said I would like to be proven wrong by him.

[00:25:25] He won.

[00:25:25] I did think that he proved me wrong a little bit.

[00:25:28] I did think that he was okay in his first term.

[00:25:30] I voted for him in 2020.

[00:25:32] And then January 6th happened.

[00:25:33] And I immediately regretted it.

[00:25:36] I think that not only have I been not able to get over that finish line to support anyone,

[00:25:41] I'm worried about regretting it on either side.

[00:25:45] And that's something that obviously only time will tell what comes from that.

[00:25:50] But that's where I stand today.

[00:25:52] Nothing super breaking of me supporting either candidate, obviously.

[00:25:57] But I did want to share in full transparency.

[00:25:59] And that's where I am.

[00:26:02] That's is something.

[00:26:03] Absolutely.

[00:26:04] I'm fucking proud of you.

[00:26:05] Thank you.

[00:26:06] You want to know why I'm proud of you?

[00:26:07] Because you're coming on in your state.

[00:26:08] First of all, you have no obligation to say how you're voting.

[00:26:12] You get the right to have a privacy of how you vote.

[00:26:15] This podcast, you have no obligation to disclose how you're voting.

[00:26:18] And I know that privacy is in the privacy of the ballot box is important.

[00:26:24] But first of all, I'm proud of you for coming on.

[00:26:26] And whatever your choice was, I'm proud of you for voicing it and speaking up and saying how you're voting.

[00:26:32] Let me say to you that I, my position, I, let me say, I was going to write someone in.

[00:26:38] I was going to write someone in.

[00:26:40] And I understand.

[00:26:42] I understand how polarizing this election is.

[00:26:46] But I guarantee you, you are an informed voter.

[00:26:50] I guarantee you, if you've come to that decision, I know, having spoken with you for the last couple of years, that's where your heart is.

[00:26:58] That's where your mind is.

[00:26:59] And I guarantee you, you writing someone in is where you believe you are.

[00:27:04] And hats off to you.

[00:27:05] I won't take my hat off because the spotlight will glare on the camera.

[00:27:10] My hat's off to you.

[00:27:11] Thank you.

[00:27:12] You've reached a decision.

[00:27:13] You're standing by your decision.

[00:27:15] And your decision is just as principled as my decision.

[00:27:19] It's just as someone who's voting for Trump.

[00:27:21] The thing that we need to embrace and champion and applaud is you're an informed voter.

[00:27:27] You've made a decision.

[00:27:28] You're staking out that place.

[00:27:31] You're staking out that flag.

[00:27:32] And you're going in and voting on Election Day.

[00:27:34] And you also came on the podcast, which you have no obligation to do, and say how you're voting.

[00:27:40] Tip of the cap to you.

[00:27:41] I'm proud of you.

[00:27:42] Great job.

[00:27:43] And I know that's an informed decision.

[00:27:45] Again, I want to be honest.

[00:27:47] Remember what I said to you.

[00:27:48] My plan was to vote.

[00:27:50] My plan was to write in Liz, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Dean Phillips.

[00:27:55] And I changed on that.

[00:27:56] So tip of the cap to you for coming on and saying how you're going to vote.

[00:28:01] And I'm really proud of you.

[00:28:03] I'm seriously, sincerely, I'm really proud of you.

[00:28:05] Thank you.

[00:28:06] It's been an internal battle.

[00:28:08] I don't know how I'm going to feel with either results.

[00:28:11] So I probably, I will find out.

[00:28:13] We're probably going to have an episode tomorrow.

[00:28:16] It's election results.

[00:28:17] And that's okay.

[00:28:18] But I just want to say to you, I'm proud of you.

[00:28:21] Thank you.

[00:28:23] Now, what if now I was going to say, if the election's tomorrow, who do you think is going to win?

[00:28:28] Guess what?

[00:28:28] The election's tomorrow.

[00:28:29] So let's go through up and down the ballot, starting with presidential.

[00:28:34] Election is tomorrow.

[00:28:36] You were a betting man who's coming out on top.

[00:28:39] And the follow-up, when will we actually find out?

[00:28:44] So a couple of things.

[00:28:45] First of all, let me just say to a couple of people, because people have asked me this.

[00:28:48] Because my position, just like your vote, my vote is not a bet.

[00:28:53] Okay?

[00:28:53] I'm not betting.

[00:28:54] This isn't like a Vikings, this isn't like a Vikings Packers game.

[00:28:58] Or your husband on a Vikings Colts game where he went with the Colts.

[00:29:04] And we're going to talk about that later.

[00:29:05] This isn't a bet.

[00:29:07] So you're voting how you want.

[00:29:10] I'm voting for how I want.

[00:29:13] And that's not a bet.

[00:29:14] And so I'm a proud Republican for Harris.

[00:29:18] I believe this.

[00:29:19] I've been saying this since this summer.

[00:29:21] It's a flip of a coin.

[00:29:23] I still think it's a flip of a coin.

[00:29:25] But I think things, I think the trend lines are trending towards Harris.

[00:29:30] And so my, and so I will not be surprised if Trump wins.

[00:29:36] I will not be surprised if Harris wins.

[00:29:38] But I'm giving the edge to Harris right now.

[00:29:41] All right.

[00:29:42] It's so tough because I think, I do agree with you that I do think

[00:29:47] it seems to be trending towards Trump or towards Harris.

[00:29:50] We have this new Iowa poll that came out that was a big shock over the weekend.

[00:29:54] We had Harris on SNL, which was also a big shock over the weekend.

[00:29:58] But it does appear that we are seeing that.

[00:30:01] I am, however, going to stay Trump.

[00:30:04] I have been, over the last couple of days, have been really thinking that it's going to be Trump.

[00:30:11] I just spent my weekend driving through central Wisconsin.

[00:30:15] And it was Trump country.

[00:30:17] I do think that I'm right now leaning Trump.

[00:30:21] I think so.

[00:30:22] It will likely be.

[00:30:24] And from what I've read and what I'm seeing, folks are saying we could get into the weekend.

[00:30:28] It could get Friday, Saturday or beyond before we find out.

[00:30:32] So it's going to be very interesting.

[00:30:35] Do you think we're going to know in the next 48 hours or 48 hours within the election?

[00:30:39] Or do you think it's going to be a couple of days?

[00:30:41] I think it'll be a few days.

[00:30:42] I think we'll have a, I think we'll see some, there's two thoughts.

[00:30:46] I think that there is, go back for a second.

[00:30:48] Part of the reason I think it's trending towards Harris is because there have been some just

[00:30:56] anomalies in some polls.

[00:30:57] And we saw the Iowa poll that showed that she was in.

[00:31:00] I spend a lot of time in the state of Iowa.

[00:31:02] My in-laws are from Iowa.

[00:31:04] My wife's family is from Iowa.

[00:31:05] And so I would be surprised if Harris won Iowa.

[00:31:10] But what I think that the Des Moines Register poll is maybe picking up on something, maybe

[00:31:17] picking up on something regarding where voters are at and where some things are pivoting towards.

[00:31:23] And so we'll see.

[00:31:25] But I think we'll have some in, I think there'll be some indications on election night, which

[00:31:30] isn't very profound to say.

[00:31:31] I wouldn't be surprised if there is that results start to come in, if this race might not be

[00:31:38] as close as what we thought in either side, we'll just remain to see.

[00:31:41] As I said on an episode last week, I've never been more interested in seeing exit polling,

[00:31:46] where people are at and where people are going in this election cycle.

[00:31:51] And I'm curious, I can see it being, it could be not close for Trump or Harris.

[00:31:57] It could be down to the wire, but we'll see what happens.

[00:31:59] But I think we'll know a little bit tomorrow, but I think it's going to be a few days.

[00:32:03] And my concern is not necessarily just about election day.

[00:32:07] It's the time between November and January.

[00:32:09] I think we're going to be entering a really dark period of American politics.

[00:32:14] I think it's going to be incumbent upon everyone to be cool, even to be level-headed.

[00:32:21] And we're going to hopefully talk about that a lot on this podcast.

[00:32:24] The one thing I will say is this.

[00:32:26] I think it is incumbent upon everyone on either side to ensure that there is a thoughtful transition

[00:32:34] and transfer of power.

[00:32:36] And I think both sides have an obligation to ensure that they are where they can be fine to ensure

[00:32:43] that whoever is the next president of the United States, people are supportive.

[00:32:47] Because when the president succeeds, America succeeds.

[00:32:50] And we can talk about that more later.

[00:32:52] Well said.

[00:32:54] Let's continue on here in Minnesota.

[00:32:56] I will go first this time.

[00:32:58] I'm going to put it at Harris plus seven.

[00:33:03] Wow.

[00:33:04] I think that if that's the case, that would be amazing.

[00:33:08] If it's Harris plus seven.

[00:33:10] Yeah, I think I'll go.

[00:33:11] I thought I was going to go around Harris plus five plus six.

[00:33:15] But you're at seven.

[00:33:17] My take is this, is that I do not believe that Minnesota is a swing state.

[00:33:22] I do not believe that Trump will win this state.

[00:33:25] And I think that if it's outside of that margin, it's concerning.

[00:33:30] Because as someone who'd like to see Republicans succeed in some ways and have a vibrant two

[00:33:35] party system, it gets tough for Republicans to make gains if it's much past.

[00:33:41] I think Republicans need the margin to be under five for there to be for there should be some

[00:33:46] pickup opportunities because of the challenges at the top of the ticket.

[00:33:49] But we'll see.

[00:33:50] U.S.

[00:33:51] Senate race.

[00:33:52] What do you think?

[00:33:52] I am assuming you believe that Amy Klobuchar is going to take it.

[00:33:55] What do you think the margin there is going to be?

[00:33:57] So this is puzzling.

[00:33:59] First of all, Amy Klobuchar is going to win.

[00:34:01] United States Senator Amy Klobuchar will be reelected to her fourth term in the United States

[00:34:05] Senate.

[00:34:05] The question, the biggest question, is it called an 801 or 802?

[00:34:09] I don't know.

[00:34:09] But she will win.

[00:34:11] I think the challenge here is, this is one thing I will point out.

[00:34:15] She has run a very interesting campaign.

[00:34:18] Since there's been one debate, she's had the opportunity to completely ignore Royce White,

[00:34:23] the Republican endorsed candidate for the United States Senate.

[00:34:25] I think Royce White will benefit from the general mood of towards the incoming party, towards

[00:34:32] the Democrats.

[00:34:33] So I think the race may be artificially close.

[00:34:37] But here's the reason why I say artificially.

[00:34:40] If there was any signs of life by the Republican endorsed candidate for the United States out of

[00:34:45] his campaign, Amy Klobuchar would have flipped her afterburners on and she would have blown him out of the water.

[00:34:50] This was not a close race.

[00:34:52] It's never been a close race.

[00:34:54] It's never been a close race.

[00:34:55] And it's not going to be a close race.

[00:34:57] And the question is if Royce White, let's say Royce White wins by 10-ish points or something, that might be one of the closest races that Klobuchar ever had.

[00:35:06] But that's because she didn't have to campaign.

[00:35:09] She's been able to go around the state, be down ballot, helping out the rest of the DFL ticket.

[00:35:15] There's been one debate between them, which was a joke.

[00:35:18] And so this is why Republicans in this state have a trouble getting nice things is because they have Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, which they can't really change.

[00:35:28] But by just wasting that endorsement for the United States Senate and having it be Royce White, it created down ballot challenges.

[00:35:36] Because again, let's say you're right and it's around seven points on the presidential race.

[00:35:42] Harris wins this state by seven.

[00:35:44] That makes it very difficult for Republicans down ballot.

[00:35:47] Then you had a United States Senate candidate in there by the name of Royce White.

[00:35:52] There's not a lot of reasons for voters to pick and choose because the top two they're already voting against.

[00:35:58] They're already voting for the Democrats.

[00:36:00] And so this is an example of why Republicans need to do a better job in their party process.

[00:36:07] Republicans have lost 32 of the last 33 statewide elections in this state.

[00:36:14] And if Royce White loses tomorrow, which he will, Republicans will have lost 33 of 34 statewide races.

[00:36:21] They have lost 12 presidential elections in a row in this state.

[00:36:25] And so I understand Republicans can't do something about the national nominating process.

[00:36:30] But Republicans on Election Day are going to have to have some conversations about where this party is going.

[00:36:37] I agree.

[00:36:39] I think the polls have surprised me a little bit in this.

[00:36:42] I do think it is largely to your point of not really being an active campaign, right?

[00:36:47] And there hasn't been a need.

[00:36:48] We've seen a great ad come out in the last couple of weeks with Senator Klobuchar's daughter talking about her cancer diagnosis and being a fighter.

[00:36:56] But we haven't there hasn't been need for her to spend the millions and millions in a war chest that she has versus the tens of thousands that the white campaign has.

[00:37:05] We did see the last presidential cycle in 2020.

[00:37:09] There was Tina Smith was up against Jason Lewis, won by five, six points there.

[00:37:14] And then in 2018, the last time Klobuchar was on the ballot, she was up against Jim Neuberger and won by, I think, over 20 points in that election.

[00:37:22] I think that it will be if before we saw some recent polling, I would have thought that we were closer to that 20 plus.

[00:37:32] I think some of the polling has shown that it might be a little closer and by a little closer, 15, 16 point margin.

[00:37:39] So that's where I'd put it in the mid double teens there.

[00:37:44] Yeah.

[00:37:44] But I think your analysis there is spot on.

[00:37:48] I have nothing to add on that.

[00:37:48] And again, it's largely because of the fact that we haven't just there hasn't been a need for Senator Klobuchar to be out there after on the campaign trail.

[00:37:57] But it is a sad state.

[00:37:59] I hope Republicans figure it out and start nominating some some better, more well-respected candidates in the future.

[00:38:07] Not that I will also say we can have a further conversation after we talk about her fourth term win.

[00:38:12] I don't know that Senator Klobuchar is beatable, to be perfectly honest.

[00:38:15] I think it's going to be, I don't know, I can even pick out in my wildest dreams a name that I think is somebody that could go up against her and take her on and be successful in that.

[00:38:26] But we can chat about that further later.

[00:38:29] Moving on, I want to chat about the congressional majorities.

[00:38:32] Do you think that Republicans will keep the House majority?

[00:38:36] I think it's going to be close.

[00:38:37] I do.

[00:38:38] I do think they're going to, I do think, I think it's going to be real close.

[00:38:42] I do think that they are.

[00:38:43] How about you?

[00:38:45] Same here.

[00:38:45] I think they're going to keep the House.

[00:38:47] What about when it comes to the Senate?

[00:38:48] I think they win the Senate.

[00:38:50] I agree.

[00:38:51] So this is where I think it is potentially beneficial.

[00:38:56] If Harris comes out on top, we have a Republican Congress say, well, it obviously leads to a lot of gridlock.

[00:39:02] I do think that there is some potential to both benefit the Democrat Party and the Republican Party coming out of this.

[00:39:08] So we'll see.

[00:39:11] CD2.

[00:39:11] I'm very intrigued about what's going to happen in CD2.

[00:39:15] I go back and forth because I really think that it is not inconceivable that Jotay Reb comes out on top in CD2.

[00:39:23] I also could see Andy Craig winning by four points.

[00:39:28] It's so hard for me.

[00:39:29] It's such an interesting district when we look at the north side of the district coming up into South St. Paul, Dakota County, down to the south side, Rice County, and some of those rural places where Trump and Lewis were winning at 26, 21 percent.

[00:39:44] It is it's a really wild district.

[00:39:48] I think that Andrew Craig has done a really good job of being a purple candidate, of sitting in that middle ground.

[00:39:56] But Jotay Reb, I do think, has won a decent campaign.

[00:39:59] I'm obviously not having the money that Angie Craig has had.

[00:40:02] And that's a conversation for another day about fundraising in some of these Republican seats.

[00:40:08] I am going to give it to Craig.

[00:40:10] I'm going to give it to Craig by, I'm going to say, 1.5.

[00:40:15] I think Angie Craig is going to win.

[00:40:17] And I don't think it's going to be that close.

[00:40:19] I think she's going to win by more than that.

[00:40:21] I think that Angie Craig, I think that Angie Craig is in a strong position.

[00:40:25] I think that she's run a smart campaign.

[00:40:28] I think that she has all of the benefits, all of the benefits of full-throated support by her party.

[00:40:36] I think she's run a great campaign.

[00:40:39] She's everywhere.

[00:40:40] She was at my kid's school this morning.

[00:40:42] She's everywhere.

[00:40:43] And I think the challenges that Republicans have, particularly in the 2nd District, is this.

[00:40:49] Jotay Reb was not supported by the local Republicans.

[00:40:52] They didn't get behind him.

[00:40:54] Republicans in the 2nd District are spending money or are out there promoting Rick Stiger for mayor of Elko and Newmarket.

[00:41:00] But the local party units are not out there supporting Jotay Reb.

[00:41:04] And I think it's a real challenge.

[00:41:06] I think the biggest impediment to Republicans, there's two major impediments to Republicans winning in the 2nd Congressional District.

[00:41:13] First of all, Angie Craig.

[00:41:14] I think she's a strong member of Congress and she has, she is everywhere.

[00:41:19] And she has done a great job of being a member of Congress in kind of that purple, in that kind of purple spot.

[00:41:26] Second of all, I think the Republicans in the 2nd Congressional District are morons with a capital M.

[00:41:33] And how they run their races and how they push their candidates and who they choose to support.

[00:41:38] And it's been, it's just disappointing.

[00:41:41] But I think Angie Craig wins.

[00:41:43] And I would be surprised if it's as close as you said it is.

[00:41:47] But we'll see.

[00:41:48] There's always a surprise on election day.

[00:41:50] But I think Angie Craig wins.

[00:41:53] All right.

[00:41:53] Now we have a special here in Minnesota in the Senate.

[00:41:57] Kelly Morrison is running as former state senator.

[00:42:01] Kelly Morrison is resigned from her seat, running for Congress in Dean Phillips' seat.

[00:42:06] Largely expected to take that seat as well.

[00:42:09] So there is, right now it's sitting 33-33 in the Minnesota Senate.

[00:42:13] We have former state senator Ann Johnson-Stewart from the DFL going up against Kathleen Falk in as a Republican.

[00:42:21] Some estimates have put this over $3 million being spent on the state Senate seat.

[00:42:26] It is a lot up for grabs.

[00:42:29] Obviously, the majority in the state Senate.

[00:42:31] And it is a seat that one of the House seats is represented by a Republican.

[00:42:36] One of the House seats in 45 is represented by a Democrat.

[00:42:40] You could see it going either way.

[00:42:41] I am going to give the lien to a Democrat or to the Democrat former state senator Ann Johnson-Stewart here.

[00:42:46] I would love Kathleen Falk to come out.

[00:42:48] I think she's been a great fighter.

[00:42:49] I think she's run a decent campaign here.

[00:42:51] Really working very hard in the district, throughout the district.

[00:42:55] But I do tend to think that this is going to stay in Democrat hands.

[00:42:59] Your thoughts?

[00:43:00] I agree.

[00:43:00] I think it's the DFL's seat to win.

[00:43:03] I don't think it'll be that close.

[00:43:05] And I think there's a theme that's developing, which I'll talk about at the end.

[00:43:09] But this is another example of Trump and the added addition of Royce White in the suburbs.

[00:43:15] It's just created some problems.

[00:43:16] And so I think the Democrats win this seat and retain, keep control of the Minnesota state Senate.

[00:43:23] All right.

[00:43:24] Moving on.

[00:43:26] Obviously, right now, the thought is we either have a Governor Walz remaining in as governor.

[00:43:32] If he if Donald Trump is elected, if Harris Walz are elected, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan will become our new governor.

[00:43:40] We just agreed that we believe the Senate is going to stay in Democrat hands.

[00:43:44] Comes over to the House on whether we're going to have single party control and that trifecta continuing.

[00:43:49] Do you think Republicans can take over control of the Minnesota House of Representatives?

[00:43:55] You laid out these questions in the best conceivable way and you laid out these in a wonderful way because this is and I saw your order.

[00:44:04] I'm like, this is perfect.

[00:44:05] Here's my challenge.

[00:44:07] And this is something that I want to talk with you about.

[00:44:11] We were doing this podcast in 2022 when the election came in.

[00:44:17] And so this is something that I have been noticing and I want to throw back to you for a second.

[00:44:24] When I announced that I was going to be a Republican for Harris, I didn't expect the type of conversations that I've had.

[00:44:31] And I've mentioned before that the majority, the vast majority of conversations that I've had with Republican men, some of which who consider themselves to be personally and passionately pro-life have been on the issues of abortion, health care and reproductive rights.

[00:44:50] Overwhelmingly, second has been a little bit of immigration in the economy, but not even close to what the discussion is was on abortion, health care.

[00:44:59] I am seeing early voting results showing the significance of the overwhelming amount of women that are voting early that have already banked their vote.

[00:45:12] I have seen some of the rhetoric from Trump and his allies, from Trump's allies talking about concerns about the women voting early.

[00:45:23] And so coupled with the poll in Iowa, I do one of the things that I'm watching for.

[00:45:31] And the reason I'm bringing up 2022 is this going into election day on 20 in 2000 and in two years ago, I believed that Republicans, particularly in this state had a very good chance of winning a statewide race.

[00:45:44] And they had a good chance of they were going to keep control of the state Senate and they were going to win back the house.

[00:45:51] That didn't happen.

[00:45:52] They lost control of the Senate and they didn't win the house.

[00:45:55] What that shows to me is that what it and I think some of those same indications are going doesn't mean it's going to be the same way.

[00:46:03] But I think that there is a possibility that there is polling data or there's data out there that we haven't fully grasped yet of a silent, committed block of voters who potentially could be below the radar screen right now.

[00:46:19] And in terms of how they poll and who they're supporting.

[00:46:23] And I have that could really flip back the flip, be an undercurrent to the Republican mobilization effort.

[00:46:31] I would like to see Republicans have some bit of reclaiming some of their stake in Minnesota.

[00:46:38] And so I'd like to think that the Republicans have control, have an opportunity to win back control of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

[00:46:46] I ultimately don't know.

[00:46:47] I can see it go either way.

[00:46:50] But this is one where I'm truly puzzled because in my mind, I'm like, yeah, it's a good year and there's energy in this season.

[00:46:58] But I have just seen I'm noticing things that the I'm noticing similar examples, similar things that were there in 2022 that I didn't pick up on.

[00:47:09] And I remember saying to you in 2022, yes, I think Republicans are going to that.

[00:47:15] This is the best chance they've had in how many some years to win a statewide race.

[00:47:20] I had fully expectations that I thought Jim Schultz or Ryan Wilson would win statewide.

[00:47:24] I expected the Senate to remain in Republican control.

[00:47:28] And I thought the Republicans could pick up the House.

[00:47:30] But there was something going on in 2022.

[00:47:32] And I wonder if it's still going on right now.

[00:47:35] So that's my long way of saying I don't know.

[00:48:06] I love it.

[00:48:08] I'm looking at this more from a statistical measure and historical measure and just the general vibe I get.

[00:48:14] So I am going to say I do want to give this to the Republicans here for a couple of reasons.

[00:48:20] I think that there is going to be a little bit of a referendum on Walls here.

[00:48:23] I think that there are going to be voters who on both sides of the aisle who don't necessarily love what Walls did in the last of what the not just Walls, what the Democrats have done in the last two years under single party control.

[00:48:38] I do think that there tends to be a flip back and forth in Minnesota.

[00:48:42] I also have said this on previous episodes and stick with it with Trump and Royce White on the top of the ticket, who I don't necessarily think reflect what Minnesota voters on the right side of the aisle believe and who they want to stand up for, especially sometimes when it comes to the religious right.

[00:49:00] I do think that there are some folks that are going to depend on down ballot tickets to get their right side of the aisle checkbox done.

[00:49:09] And so I do think that there is potential for the Minnesota House to turn Republican because folks are potentially not resonating with Donald Trump, with Royce White, who might either vote right in, vote for Harris or an independent third party who are going to come back home and vote for Republicans in the Minnesota House.

[00:49:27] I am very hopeful.

[00:49:28] I don't know that we can afford another term of single party control here in Minnesota.

[00:49:34] Quite literally, I don't think that we can afford it with the spending and tax increases that we've seen out of the last two sessions.

[00:49:41] I am going to give it to the Republicans.

[00:49:43] Very cautiously optimistic.

[00:49:45] I know that they've been fighting hard.

[00:49:46] They've got a good lead, good team up at the working on the campaign trail here.

[00:49:50] So I want to be cautiously optimistic.

[00:49:52] But I'm going to say Republicans here can get us over the finish line.

[00:49:56] That's great.

[00:49:57] And I hear your fingers tidying.

[00:49:58] So you're keeping track of this.

[00:49:59] I am keeping track of this.

[00:50:01] So we need to freaking help that.

[00:50:03] And see who is right and wrong.

[00:50:05] Any final thoughts as we wrap up?

[00:50:08] We are, holes are open in less than 24 hours right now.

[00:50:12] Can't believe we're here.

[00:50:13] But what are your, any final thoughts?

[00:50:15] I just want to clarify this, Amy.

[00:50:17] You are voting right in, you're voting tomorrow, right?

[00:50:20] Correct.

[00:50:21] Okay, so when you go and vote, tweet out what time do you think you'll go?

[00:50:26] Probably go midday.

[00:50:27] So probably over lunch.

[00:50:28] When you go and vote, it would be great if you go and vote, tweet out like what your number is.

[00:50:33] So we can get a gag and ask what the gag is.

[00:50:35] I, I already voted.

[00:50:38] And I did that process because I wanted to test it out and validate that it's a good, fair process.

[00:50:44] And so I'm going to go up tomorrow and see, check in a few times.

[00:50:47] My wife is going to vote tomorrow.

[00:50:49] And so I'm going to go up to my polling location just to check in and see what's going on.

[00:50:52] Because I like that day of stuff.

[00:50:54] But if you feel comfortable, you don't have to share how you voted.

[00:50:57] But just maybe what time and what your polling, what your vote count was.

[00:51:01] I'm curious what, I expect a big rush tomorrow.

[00:51:03] What I will say is I'll plug that tomorrow we're going to do a live stream.

[00:51:08] Time to be determined, probably 7 or 8, but we'll send out a notice on our social media channels as to what that,

[00:51:13] but we'll be live for a few hours.

[00:51:15] I'm in fact going to take a nap here soon so I can stay up that late.

[00:51:19] But we're going to do a live stream and we're going to invite some guests on throughout the night.

[00:51:23] But you and I are going to be here cranking out stuff and watching what's happening.

[00:51:27] But I'm looking forward to this great experiment, which we call Democracy.

[00:51:31] And we'll see what happens tomorrow.

[00:51:34] Absolutely.

[00:51:34] And we would be remiss if we just let this episode go.

[00:51:37] I've got two minutes here without talking about football results.

[00:51:41] Obviously.

[00:51:42] What will we have to talk about?

[00:51:43] That I'm winning.

[00:51:45] Oh, man.

[00:51:46] Democracy's on the ballot, Becky.

[00:51:48] And that trumps sometimes football.

[00:51:50] By the way, I'm not doing well.

[00:51:52] My sisters, people have noticed this.

[00:51:54] I'm getting my tail kicked in with my sisters and others in my family and my other league.

[00:51:59] This is what happens when democracy is on the ballot.

[00:52:01] I can't have less time.

[00:52:02] You're distracted.

[00:52:03] I'm spending less time on social media, less time on fantasy football in my thinking league.

[00:52:08] But I guarantee you, come tomorrow, there's going to be a strong resurgence in my intention.

[00:52:12] I can't wait.

[00:52:14] For other stuff.

[00:52:14] Bring it.

[00:52:15] Becky, I want to thank you for doing this.

[00:52:17] And I want to thank our listeners for listening to another episode of The Breakdown with Brock

[00:52:21] or Becky before we go.

[00:52:23] Show some love for your favorite podcast by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or the

[00:52:27] platform where you listen.

[00:52:28] You can also leave us a review on our website and follow us across all social media platforms

[00:52:35] at DDBreakbot.

[00:52:36] The Breakdown with Brock or Becky will return tomorrow.

[00:52:40] Thanks for listening.

[00:52:41] Bye.