TBR – Why the DFL keeps winning

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

In this episode of The Brodkorb Report, Becky Alery and I discuss the recent election results in Minnesota and analyze and debate why the Minnesota DFL keeps winning elections. We also compare and contrast the Republican Party of Minnesota and the Minnesota DFL in the following:

  1. Endorsement process
  2. Candidate quality
  3. Outside groups
  4. Party organizational strength

Todd Walker – The Whip/moderator for The Brodkorb Report is traveling the world. He’ll be back for our next episode.  Links to subscribe to The Brodkorb Report are available below.

Please listen to the latest episode and let me know your thoughts!

Read More

TBR – The Great Thanksgiving Debate!

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

In the lasted episode of The Brodkorb Report, Becky Alery and I discuss the recent Republican Jewish Coalition’s Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas and what it means for the GOP presidential race in 2024.

We next discuss the announcement by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy that he will remove Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar from serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee when he becomes Speaker. We also discuss the political reality of Democrats pushing for a lame-duck session of Congress to pass amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Todd Walker asks Becky and me for our reaction to Elon Musk’s decision to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

In the final segment of this episode, we all have a heated and passionate debate on when food should be served on Thanksgiving day.  Links to subscribe to The Brodkorb Report are available below.

Read More

TBR – Emmer, Trump, and the MNGOP

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

In the lasted episode of The Brodkorb Report, Becky Alery and I discuss the election of Minnesota 6th District Congressman Tom Emmer to serve as House Republican Majority Whip for the 118th Congress. We next have a lively talk about the announcement by former President Trump that he will run for president again in 2022.

The subject of the future of the Republican Party of Minnesota led to a vibrant debate. Becky and I closed this episode by discussing future guests on the program and requesting that listeners of the show offer suggestions. Links to subscribe to The Brodkorb Report are available below.

Please listen to the latest episode and let me know your thoughts!

Read More

TBR – Election Recap

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

In the latest episode of The Brodkorb Report, Becky Alery and I discuss the results of the 2022 elections. Becky gives her blunt assessment of the possibility of former President Donald Trump running for president in 2024. The Brodkorb Report will be available in the coming weeks on all podcast platforms.

Please listen to the latest episode below and let me know your thoughts!

Read More

The political malpractice of the 2022 election

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

If you followed my analysis and commentary on Twitter during the election cycle, you know I’ve had many strong opinions about what I thought was going right and what I thought went wrong.

Let me begin with a reminder that I endorsed DFL-incumbent Governor Tim Walz, DFL-incumbent Secretary of State Steve Simon, Republican challenger Jim Schultz for attorney general, and Republican challenger Ryan Wilson for state auditor. In each of my posts, I explained why I endorsed these candidates.

As in previous elections this past decade, I voted for a split ticket. I still consider myself a Republican, but I think of myself as “politically homeless” because I don’t feel at home or even comfortable inside the Republican Party of today. My evolution in voting has created friction and tension between myself and my more partisan Republican friends.

I don’t vote based on party labels but on the candidate’s qualities. Unlike my past voting behavior, which was robotic and partisan, I have spent the last decade taking a more thoughtful and deliberative approach to voting.

I am not paid for my analysis and commentary, and whom I decide to vote for is based on several factors, but again, the party label is not the top factor. I do not believe that people were influenced by my endorsements or by which candidate earned my vote. Again, explaining how I voted will add more depth to my analysis and commentary. People will be able to compare my votes with my take on politics. I have opinions and beliefs, and rather than foolishly submitting a blank ballot or hiding how I vote, I am choosing to be transparent and honest.

Read More

In the news: Breaking up with Trump

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

I spoke to Politico about the need for Republicans to move past Donald Trump and how Republicans have made this difficult.

Trump has survived bad election nights before, often by denying the results themselves. He still has not conceded his own loss in 2020 to Joe Biden — a denialism that has reached many elected officials in his party. On Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, a similar wave of election conspiracy theorizing erupted online to dismiss the idea that the midterms had been any sort of repudiation of Trump, let alone a lackluster night for Republicans.

In part, for this reason, some GOP operatives argued, it would remain difficult to imagine Trump being dethroned any time soon as the party’s kingmaker.

“It’s like telling your kid they need to go clean their room, and they deny the room exists,” explained Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota Republican Party.

“Donald Trump should be politically dead. They should recognize that,” he said. “But of course, they won’t … That’s the beauty of not living in the real world.”

Click here to read the complete story from Politico.

Why I am voting for Jim Schultz for AG

on by Michael Brodkorb Share

As I noted in a previous post, I am disclosing how I will vote in statewide races because I want to add context to my analysis and commentary. Over the last decade, I’ve offered detailed analysis and commentary on Minnesota politics while casting my vote in the voting booth’s privacy. I’ve voted for a split ticket in past elections, and I did today.

I am not paid for my analysis and commentary, and who I decide to vote for is based on several factors, but again, the party label is not the top factor. I have no expectation that people will be influenced by my endorsements or by which candidate earns my vote. Again, explaining how I vote will add more depth to my analysis and commentary. People will be able to compare my votes with my take on politics.

In the race for attorney general between DFL-incumbent Keith Ellison and Republican Jim Schultz, I voted on Election Day for Jim Schultz.

Schultz was the only Republican candidate I voted for in the Republican Primary in August, which I publicly disclosed on Twitter. He was the first candidate I endorsed.

I know there is a public debate about the attorney general’s role in Minnesota. This debate has shaped how people may cast their votes.

I believe the attorney general has a leadership role in addressing Minnesota’s growing public safety problem. Crime and public safety are among my top issues this election cycle, and Schultz earned my vote because of his focus on building the coalitions needed to tackle this problem.

Read More