Becky Scherr and Michael Brodkorb return and highlight Michael’s interview with Jay Reeves, the Forward Independence Party candidate for Minnesota state auditor. Reeves shares his background, military service, and cancer diagnosis, and how he secured ballot access by collecting 2,000-plus signatures. He outlines a data-driven, near real-time approach to detecting waste, fraud, and abuse, and argues internal controls should be built into programs before they are approved.
Becky and Michael discuss the state auditor’s limitations, the value of nonpartisanship, and recent media scrutiny around GOP-endorsed auditor candidate Nate George.
They then break down new KSTP/SurveyUSA polling on GOP primaries for governor and Senate, the DFL U.S. Senate primary between Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan, and a tightening attorney general race.
The episode closes on Bernie Sanders elevating Minnesota as a progressive battleground.
00:00 — Welcome, Last Week Recap, and Meet Jay Reeves:Opening remarks, a recap of last week’s Trump-Lindell endorsement coverage, some dino shirt banter, and an introduction to state auditor candidate Jay Reeves.
05:56 — Jay’s Life Story: Service, Cancer, and a Twin Brother:Jay Reeves shares his personal background, military service, his cancer diagnosis, the story of his twin brother, and what drove him toward public life.
14:47 — Why Third Party and the Ballot Access Fight: Reeves explains his decision to run outside the two-party system, the legal and logistical challenges of ballot access, and the push to fix Minnesota’s signature rules.
29:57 — Why State Auditor: Fraud, Data Dashboards, and Proactive Oversight: Reeves makes the case for his auditor candidacy, his vision for fraud prevention through data dashboards, a proactive oversight plan, and what nonpartisan accountability looks like in practice.
46:56 — Auditor Powers, Fixing Fraud Now, and Making the Office Visible: A breakdown of what the state auditor can actually do, how Reeves would use those powers to address fraud immediately, and his plan to raise the office’s public profile.
53:54 — Debates, Campaign Style, and How to Follow Jay: Reeves on his approach to debates, his campaign style, and where voters can follow and engage with his candidacy.
01:00:11 — Post-Interview Debrief and Governor and Senate Primary Polls: Becky and Michael react to the Reeves interview, then dig into the latest polling on the GOP and DFL governor and Senate primaries and the tight attorney general race.
01:21:55 — Progressive Rally Impact and Wrap Up: A breakdown of the progressive rally’s political impact on the primary landscape and closing thoughts ahead of next week.
The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky will return with a new episode next week!
Get full access to On The Record with Michael Brodkorb at michaelbrodkorb.substack.com/subscribe