The Steve Hallstrom Show Episode 713: The District 13 Rebellion, Low Skyway Foot Traffic, and the $1.9 Billion Broadway Boom

Live from a hotel room in downtown Minneapolis, Steve Hallstrom anchors a dense Friday edition tracking stark cultural shifts and escalating primary battles. Steve explores a highly unusual conservative clash in West Fargo as sitting state representatives openly break ranks with the Governor over targeted financial endorsements. The show audits a newly released federal employment surge, maps out a record-breaking $1.9 billion ticket spike on Broadway, and details a sudden active shooter false alarm that shook a local shopping mall. Plus, an exclusive face-to-face sit-down with North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe to break down a massive wave of early voting numbers ahead of Tuesday's high-stakes primary. Key Moments West Fargo Primary Escalation Ignites: Steve isolates a glaring structural rift within the North Dakota Republican Party . West Fargo State Representative Ben Koppelman publicly slammed Governor Kelly Armstrong for stepping onto the primary scale to financially endorse District 13 incumbents Senator Judy Lee, Representative Jim Jonas, and Representative Austin Schauer . Koppelman broke ranks to throw his support behind conservative primary challengers Phil Solberg, Everett Duckworth, and Russell Bubach, criticizing the Governor for duplicating controversial primary meddling tactics . Incumbents Fire Back on Conservative Records: District 13 incumbents Senator Judy Lee, Representative Jim Jonas, and Representative Austin Schauer call into the show to forcefully defend their legislative footprints . Rebuffing accusations that they are "too liberal," Representative Schauer challenges voters to check their record on passing $500 million in tax relief, championing 39 veteran bills, and enacting the state's classroom cell phone ban . Senator Lee highlights her ongoing policy work utilizing rural health transformation grants to bridge critical medical access gaps across far-flung counties . Record-Breaking Cass County Early Turnout: North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe joins the program to drop exclusive, real-time voter statistics ahead of the June 9th primary . Howe reveals that a massive 5,329 residents have already cast early in-person ballots in Cass County, completely crushing the entire historical early vote tallies from both the 2022 and 2024 primary cycles . Howe balances the surge by noting that while a hotly contested Fargo mayoral race is hyper-activating local city voters, broader statewide turnout remains historically light at a projected 14% to 20% baseline. Downtown Minneapolis Stagnation: Broadcasting from his old college stomping grounds, Steve voices deep nostalgia and concern over the changing landscape of downtown Minneapolis . He notes a stark drop in…