Long9 Studio

We never knew when this day would come, but it’s here: the last official Smoke-Filled Room. Why? We’ll tell you, but you have to stick around until the end of the episode. 
It only felt right that our host Collin Corbett would be joined solely one last time by Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak. 
They begin covering the megabill out of Springfield that hopefully keeps the Bears in Illinois, but it’s a bill that might not even make it out of the Senate in its current form. Hidden in the bill, the Bears would pay double what they expected to pay, so the question is, do the Bears even support the bill? Most importantly, why do we need to keep doing this, where we give huge tax breaks to businesses to get them to stay in or come to Illinois? Ultimately, small- and medium-sized businesses who aren’t getting these breaks pay the price.
We move over to redistricting and the amendment House Democrats passed to make it even easier for them to gerrymander districts in their favor. We then discuss Pritzker’s push for more affordable housing. While the idea is good in concept, because our 40-and-under residents need more opportunities to purchase homes, we can’t expect a Chicago-style one-solution-fits-all approach to work in the suburbs and downstate. But that’s exactly what Pritzker and Springfield are pushing.
We transition into some political topics, beginning with the Republican outlook for November. With this being our final Smoke-Filled Room, Collin let Chris and Michael each pick a topic to lead—Chris went fully controversial and dived into religion and politics, and Michael talked about the Republican State Central Committee elections and Tom DeVore’s loss. And we have one final round of nominations of OGs and clowns.
Finally, Collin shares why this is our last Smoke-Filled Room episode, at least for now. After nearly 150 episodes, THIS is the most defining moment in our podcast’s history. You’ll have to watch the segment to get the full story.
00:00: Introductions03:23: Can Illinois Keep the Bears from Fleeing to Indiana?12:40: Democrats Say Gerrymandering Is Bad While Pushing to Do It Even More 20:25: Instead of Collaborating to Address Housing, Pritzker Just Wants TV Ad Fodder35:28: Republicans Still Have Their Heads in the Sand Heading into November50:02: Chris’s Final Topic: Trump, the Pope, and Religion in Politics01:00:53: Michael’s Final Topic: Tom DeVore Loses State Central Committee Race01:08:23: Final OG & Clown Segment01:17:21: The Republican Party Has Officially Left Collin01:36:43: Closing Thoughts

You may look at this week’s agenda and think it’s going to be a shorter episode. We thought so too, and we promise, we tried! But Collin Corbett, Michael Butler, Chris Jackowiak, and our guests State Senator Li Arellano and former State Representative Dan Caulkins ended up having excellent debates and a lot of fun back-and-forth during each topic, so you’ll want to stick around for the entire episode.
We rarely cover national news, but the last few weeks we’ve had to talk about how the latest developments in Iran impact our local Republicans and elections. With two veterans and multiple politicos on this week, we all share different perspectives on the war, but one thing we all agree on is that the voters are focused on the impact the war is having on the cost-of-living. Although Pritzker and Illinois Democrats are to blame for the affordability crisis in Illinois, because national Republicans has failed to properly message, voters are currently blaming Republicans. This is a problem for November.
We transition into talking about the push to increase Tier 2 pension benefits, and for the first time, we have actual price tags. Li breaks down the situation and shares how as mayor and now state senator, he’s seen the pitfalls of politicians taking short-term political wins over focusing on long-term solutions that don’t saddle future generations with the bill.
We continue the policy conversation by discussing data centers and the unions’ call for a common sense approach instead of Pritzker going from one extreme position to the other, something we can all get behind. We discuss how Illinois isn’t in a position to be a leader in data centers because of Pritzker’s failed energy policies. This is a big opportunity for the Bailey campaign, though they’re whiffing on it…more on this later.
Then the group talks about the hypocrisy of Democrat leaders sending their kids to private schools while opposing the same opportunities for lower income working families, the all-out war Pritzker is unleashing on mayors and local governments, and how Darren Bailey is still running a primary campaign (this week it’s DOGE and anti-union rhetoric).
We leave you with 6 news stories to follow right now, before nominating our OGs and clowns from the week.
00:00: Introductions03:33: Some Signs of Progress in Iran, But Political Fallout Continues22:23: Push to Increase Tier 2 Pension Benefits Escalates in Springfield45:02: Unions Call on Pritzker to Pursue More Common Sense Approach to Data Centers54:43: Speaker Welch Latest IL Politician to Send Kids to Private School While Opposing School Choice01:02:26: Mayors Fuming After Being Targeted by Pritzker and Springfield01:13:19: More Concerning Signs for IL Republicans Nationally and with Darren Bailey's Campaign01:34:33: Attempted Spin by Left-Leaning Group Falls Flat, IL GDP Growth Lags Our Neighbors 01:36:49: State's Procurement So Bad, IL Companies Focusing on Getting Work from Neighboring States 01:38:38: House Republican Working with Firefighter Unions to Lower Starting Age 01:40:30: Federal Court Ruling Could Be Big for BIPA Cases in Illinois 01:41:45: IL Obamacare Enrollees Seeing Significantly Smaller Increases Than Pritzker and Allies Predicted 01:45:38: Despite Challenges, Americans Continue Showing Upward Income Mobility 01:48:05: OG & Clown of the Week 01:54:56: Closing Thoughts

We’re back from our Spring Break and we deliver a big episode to make up for some lost time. We start with 3 heartbreaking stories and then things get a little scrappy as we talk about voter turnout, the war in Iran, and Republican infighting.
Joining Collin Corbett in the Smoke-Filled Room this week are State Senator Craig Wilcox, Lake County Republican Federation President Larry Falbe, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak. They begin covering another failure in Pritzker’s DCFS that cost an 8-year-old his life. This precious boy deserved better than a cover up, but that’s what Pritzker and DCFS did. Something needs to be done because there are countless stories like this happening throughout the state. Collin ends the topic with an extremely pointed message for JB Pritzker: lead or get the [bleep] out of the way.
Illinois and Chicago were the center of national news after an 18-year-old student was killed by an illegal immigrant. Democrats are trying to bury this story because this illegal came through Biden’s open border, was arrested and let go in Kim Foxx’s Cook County, and was engaging in gang behavior and never caught in Brandon Johnson’s Chicago. How do we fix our immigration system so things like this don’t happen? Our panel has a good debate. And we later discuss how a firefighter lost his life in a building set fire by a repeat criminal a week before the birth of his baby girl. 
We switch gears to discuss policy and politics, starting with Pritzker’s ever-increasing fight against local governments. When reports from the Cook County Treasurer came out that property taxes over the last 30 years outpaced inflation by nearly 100%, what’s JB’s response? Blame everyone, including local municipalities and school districts, but himself. 
And then the scrappiness picks up as we discuss the bad signs for the Republican Party as we approach November. Chris dives into the voter turnout numbers in Chicagoland, where even places like Kane and McHenry Counties saw Democrat turnout up significantly and Republican turnout down. Our panel debates whether the turnout numbers will actually be that bad come November and what it will take to turn it around.
We close down this week’s episode discussing how we can’t seem to find the new Darren Bailey we were promised in the general election, one who claims to be an “80-20” governor but spends all his time on Fox News and social media pushing hard right talking points. There are so many failures from Pritzker that would resonate with everyday Illinoisans. And then we get into 2 weeks’ worth of news you can use, OGs, and clowns.
00:00: Introductions03:18: Continued Failures at Pritzker's DCFS Leads to Death of 8-Year-Old Round Lake Beach Boy19:32: 18-Year-Old Girl Pays the Ultimate Price for Politicians' Failure to Fix Immigration36:30: Pro-Criminal Agenda Costs Firefighter His Life a Week Before Daughter's Birth45:05: Pritzker Escalates War with Local Governments, Blames Them for Sky-High Property Taxes01:02:29: Ignoring Giant Warning Signs for November, Republicans in Illinois Continue Infighting01:24:22: Darren Bailey Fakes to the Middle While Turning Hard-Right in IL Gov Race01:33:38: Residents Leaving Illinois at 3rd-Highest Rate in the Country 01:34:34: Median Property Taxes in Illinois the Highest in the Midwest 01:35:08: Illinois Continues to Lose Ground, Falling to 9th in Data Center Construction 01:37:10: Pritzker Willing to Take Road Fund Money to Bail Out CTA, but Not to Provide Working Families Relief at the Pump 01:38:26: In Election Year, Pritzker Doling Out Huge Tax Breaks for Splashy Jobs Announcements01:30:35: Assault Rates on CTA Over Double Other Public Transit Agencies 01:41:22: In Attempt to Lower Home and Auto Insurance Rates, Springfield Likely to Increase Rates Instead 01:43:03: Chicago Democrat Wants to Ban All Law Enforcement from Using Biometric Identification Systems to Catch Criminals01:43:57: Senate Democrats Once Again Going After Charter Schools 01:45:00: Republicans Putting Forward Good Bills to Improve Affordability in Illinois 01:47:29: Despite the State's Awful Business Climate, IL's Manufacturers the Biggest Exporters in the Midwest 01:48:37: OG & Clown of the Week 01:59:54: Closing Thoughts

Congratulations, you made it through the primary! Now we’ve got warm weather and 7+ months until another election. But this is when the real fight begins. We’ve got a lot to recap and unpack on this week’s post-election SFR so let’s dive right into it.
Joining Collin Corbett include former State Representative Tom Demmer, Ogle County GOP Chairman Mike Koolidge, and Cor’s (tired) political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak. 
They kick off the episode talking about the rematch we knew was about to happen in the governor’s race between JB Pritzker and Darren Bailey. Bailey landed where we expected at over 50% of the vote, while both Dabrowski and Mendrick overperformed and Heidner underperformed. We discuss how and if Republicans can unify and whether Bailey can make this a race. Plus, Mike shares a scoop about what’s actually happening between Darren and Ted post-election.
In the U.S. Senate race, we told you we were being objective when saying Don Tracy was the strongest candidate in the race and likely winner. The Tracy campaign is hitting the ground running, contrasting with Juliana Stratton, the most progressive nominee Illinois has ever seen. We also analyze how Stratton won her primary…and how Raja lost it. 
We then recap the rest of the Republican races across the state. In the comptroller’s race, Bryan Drew will take on Margaret Croke. Bryan and Christen were at every Republican event throughout the state, despite not having a primary, showing how hard they will work to put this race in play. In the congressional races, previous SFR guests Dilan Vancil and Niki Conforti won their primary races, as did Jennifer Davis, and they now seek to make their general election contests races to watch.
We cover Josh Higgins defeating Norine Hammond in HD94, Paul Jacobs winning Dale Fowler’s old seat, Scott Doody winning Jacobs’ current seat, and Springfield Republicans getting their preferred candidates in three out of four districts.
For our last main topic, we talk about how Democrats are rightfully feeling confident, but they’re so cocky they aren’t moving to the middle at all in the general election—in fact they continue to move further to the left. It’s a real opportunity for Republicans to pick up moderate and even center-left voters…if we actually talk to them, that is. 
00:00: Introductions02:17: As Expected, Darren Bailey Will Face JB Pritzker in a 2022 Rematch for Illinois Governor34:35: Don Tracy Set to Take on Juliana Stratton for US Senate53:43: Not Yet Official, but Margaret Croke Will Be Bryan Drew's Opponent for Illinois Comptroller59:17: Dillan Vancil, Niki Conforti, Jennifer Davis, Jim Marter, and Jeff Walter Advance in Congressional Contests01:03:52: Josh Higgins Beats Norine Hammond While Charlie Meier, Tony McCombie, and Dave Severin Win Easily01:10:48: Paul Jacobs and Scott Doody Advance in Deep Red Districts01:12:38: Springfield Republicans Get Their Preferences in SD36, HD76, and HD52 but not SD3301:16:53: If You Think Democrats Are Going to Move to the Middle Now, You Haven't Been Paying Attention01:20:55: In Classic Illinois Fashion, Popular Old Joliet Haunted Prison to End Over Paperwork Problem 01:26:07: Illinois Has the Highest Gas Prices in the Midwest 01:26:48: Chicago's Hotel Tax Now the Highest in the Nation 01:27:55: As City Grows More Unaffordable, Average Chicago Homeowner Now 56.5 Years Old 01:29:08: Domestic Violence Homicides Up 15% in Chicago 01:30:02: Illinois Says Asking Permission Takes Too Long, They Should Be Able to Dig Up Your Property Whenever They Want 01:31:27: Senate Democrats Targeting Prediction Markets for Next Tax Increases 01:33:55: Now Springfield Democrats Won't Let Municipalities Regulate Residential Batteries 01:35:09: OG & Clown of the Week 01:49:13: Closing Thoughts

If you’re not exhausted when you’re reading this, you’re not doing the final days of election season right. It’s our last Smoke-Filled Room before the primary Election Day, so buckle up for a ride through all the races up and down the ballot that matter for Republicans.
Joining host Collin Corbett are 2 guests who will be on some of your ballots: State Representative Travis Weaver and candidate for Congress in the 6th District Niki Conforti. As always, Cor’s political experts, Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, are in the car as well. 
They cover some housekeeping topics before diving into where the race for governor stands. We covered this race in detail on our special episode released on Tuesday, but our panel gets into the latest in fundraising and how the campaigns are playing the final days.
At the time of our recording, Republicans statewide hadn’t even hit 100,000 votes cast yet (less than 1/3 the number of Democrats), so we discuss potential scenarios based on what could be very low voter turnout on the Republican side. 
We then get into the US Senate race, starting with the Republican side. While Don Tracy is the clear frontrunner, each of the other candidates has increased their name ID and secured certain voting bases. On the Democrat side, we’re seeing dueling polls from Raja’s and Stratton’s campaigns. They won’t stop spending money and attacking each other in this race until 6:59pm on Tuesday night.
There are 15 legislative races you should be watching on election night, and we break them all down. There are 5 Republican Congressional primaries in Northern Illinois, some of which could be interesting in November if the right candidate is nominated. Niki talks about the 6th District and why she believes she is the best candidate to take on Sean Casten. Plus, we highlight 4 incumbent House Republicans facing primary challenges and 6 legislative primaries in the House and Senate that have General Election ramifications. 
We move into House District 97 where Illinois Republicans are raising the heat about Harry Benton being removed from committees and the Democrat caucus without any explanation to the public. The Democrats’ hypocrisy speaks volumes because if this were a Republican, Democrats would be demanding transparency (as would the media).
As we close down the episode, we discuss what it’s going to take for Republicans to unify after Tuesday so we can actually win races in November…or if we can even get to a point of unifying. Plus, we give praise to entities you wouldn’t expect, including Collin praising Pritzker, Brandon Johnson and the CTA, and school districts throughout Illinois.
00:00: Introductions02:27: Housekeeping: More Tragedy for the Baileys, Kankakee Tornadoes, VBM Ballots04:21: Republican Gubernatorial Field Nears the Finish Line20:57: Who Will Face Off for US Senate?37:05: Comptroller Race Headlines the Remaining Statewide Races42:05: Republican Niki Conforti Running for IL-647:54: Five Republican Congressional Races to Watch (IL-17, IL-6, IL-8, IL-14, IL-11)55:11: Four Incumbent Republicans Facing Primary Challenges Tuesday (HD94, HD109, HD89, HD116)59:43: Six Legislative Primaries with General Election Ramifications (SD59, HD118, SD33, SD36, HD76, HD52)01:06:00: HD97 Harry Benton and House Dems Still Silent on Removal from Caucus and Committees01:11:00: Can Republicans Unify After the Primary?01:21:19: Some Positivity: Praising People We Don't Usually Praise01:28:20: Senate Democrats Want to Tack on Another 20 Cent Per Ride Fee to Rideshares01:29:35: North Shore Democrat Wants to Ban Law Enforcement from Polling Places, Even in Emergencies01:31:05: Illinois Has Seen 2nd Worst Income Growth of Surrounding States Since 2010 01:32:05: Illinois Residents Have the Highest Lifetime Credit Card Debt in the Nation 01:32:45: OG & Clown of the Week 01:41:12: Closing Thoughts

No, it’s not Friday, but we’re just a week out from Election Day and had some things to get off our chests that couldn’t wait until the end of the week, so Collin Corbett, Michael Butler, and Chris Jackowiak decided to record a special Smoke-Filled Room focused on the governor’s race.
Plus, Collin actually got to have a cigar while recording for the first time in ages. Then his boy, Teddy, also decided it was too nice to stay inside and came out on the deck with his dino bubble gun…and, well, enjoy watching Collin dodge bubbles while trying to make coherent arguments.
What set this special episode in motion was Dan Proft’s tweet blaming the voters (and their intelligence) for why his candidate, Ted Dabrowski, is likely to lose next week. In the “making a good point badly” category, he correctly points out that Darren Bailey can’t win in November, but what he fails to mention is his campaign hasn’t run a winning campaign, so voters are defaulting to the only name they know.
This is an important lesson for Republicans and conservatives to learn, if we want to win elections: facts aren’t persuasive, because they speak to the analytical side of people’s brains, which does not make decisions. This isn’t debate club. It’s not just about being right, you also have to be persuasive to win elections. The Right struggles with this…badly.
Meanwhile, Bailey has the primary sewn up, yet he’s getting into social media spats like he’s not. While others are attacking, the Bailey campaign has no reason to respond, it gains them nothing (and only serves to increase hard feelings after the primary is over). This was a prime opportunity to be a party unifier, but yet again Bailey proved he’s not capable of being the unifying voice Republicans need heading into November.
We then cover a timely poll done by NBC that showed 70% of Republican primary voters vote for candidates that come closest to their views or stances on issues, while only 27% say they vote for candidates that have the best chance to win in November. This backs up what we’ve been saying for months, that while the argument that Bailey cannot win in November is compelling to insiders, it is not a winning message to the wider Republican primary electorate. Yet Bailey’s opponents keep trying.
In closing, we urge Republicans to not give up if their favored candidate doesn’t win the gubernatorial primary next Tuesday. Even if you believe the nominee has no shot in November, you cannot pack up your ball and go home. Good Republican candidates are up and down the ballot and we must do whatever we can to get them elected.
00:00: Introductions01:30: Dan Proft Plays the Blame Game and Throws Republican Voters Under the Bus19:43: Stats Aren’t Persuasive: Facts Tell, Stories Sell28:16: Bailey Starts Social Media Spats Instead of Being the Unifier Republicans Need38:19: Republican Primary Voters Aren’t Persuaded by Electability Arguments48:04: No Matter Who Wins Next Tuesday, Don’t Give Up

Come for the politics, but stay for the policy—with less than 2 weeks to go until the election, there is a lot to discuss from the campaign trail, plus we have great conversations later in the episode that have a big impact on Illinois Republicans and voters.
Collin Corbett, Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, and guests, policy expert Carolyn Schofield and Lemont Township Supervisor Mike Shackel, kick off the episode covering the governor’s race. Week after week, Pritzker becomes more vulnerable, but we’re still waiting for a Republican candidate to show they can defeat him. Plus, we release some polling we did on the governor’s race and how Bailey is performing head-to-head against Pritzker to help explain why so many of us are concerned about November.
We transition to the U.S. Senate race where too many things are happening too late and some too early. Plus, we share updates from the GOP side. And then we touch on the comptroller’s race where Susana Mendoza endorsed Holly Kim less than 2 weeks out. Not even Chris could come up with a rationale to why Mendoza dropped an endorsement this late. Timing is everything in politics.
We then get into the policy portion of the episode where we talk about how the military operations in Iran could impact Republicans come November. We then get an old-school Collin rant with more examples of the Pritzker administration’s failures. There’s a story where DCFS took a newborn away from a family over a paperwork discrepancy; IDOC tried to induce an inmate prematurely and only have 16 full time physicians for over 30,000 inmates; and IDFPR is so behind on issuing licenses that workers are going to Iowa. Iowa…
Finally, Pritzker and Brandon Johnson like to tout essentially fake rankings that claim Illinois’ economy is doing great, but then we go right into our news you can use section with multiple stories that contradict their claims. 
00:00: Introductions02:40: Bailey Coasting to Primary Win While Pritzker Vulnerabilities Continue to Increase19:27: Stratton Backers Claim She's Leading While Raja Backers Promote Robin Kelly36:36: Susana Mendoza Endorses Holly Kim, but Is It Too Late?43:08: Will US Combat Operations in Iran Impact the November Elections?58:39: More Failures at DCFS, IDOC, & IDFPR Show Continued Incompetence in Pritzker's Administration01:16:41: Pritzker and Johnson Tout a Fake Ranking to Pretend IL's Economy Is Great01:22:18: Another 1,139 Former Discover Employees Laid Off 01:23:39: Springfield Report Admits IL's Economic Growth Has Badly Lagged the Nation's Since 2018 01:26:25: Illinois Has the Highest Total Tax Rate in the United States01:28:09: Chicago Dem and Giannoulias Want to Hike Auto Insurance Premiums on Seniors and Women01:30:59: Far Left Senate Democrats Admit Fraud in IL's SNAP Program01:35:09: Aggravated Assaults and Batteries on the CTA Reach a 24-Year High 01:36:37: Senate Republicans File Bills to Help Homebuyers and Homeowners 01:41:52: OG & Clown of the Week01:52:28: Closing Thoughts

We begin this week by honoring someone who recently passed away and was a force in Northwest Suburban politics. She was a close friend, mentor, and mother-figure to many of us at Long9 Studios and Cor Strategies: Marianne Bailey. Ryan joins Collin to share their thoughts before the episode officially begins.
Then we jump right into politics. Along with Lake County Republican Chairman Keith Brin, candidate for Congress in the 17th District Julie Bickelhaupt, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, host Collin Corbett transitions goes right into the meat of the episode.
We begin with the governor’s race where Darren Bailey is doing what a smart front-runner should do, avoiding situations that could cost him votes. Yet his opponents, Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner, and Jim Mendrick, continue to spend all their time attacking each other instead of the frontrunner, which puts them in a position to essentially be fighting for 2nd place. We then talk about Dabrowski’s new ads, Heidner’s fundraising gains, and Pritzker’s first ad of the cycle.
For most of this election cycle, the theme has been “too late.” Candidates got into the race too late, introduced themselves too late, ramped up fundraising too late, etc. Now they’ve started attacking their opponents too late. This could especially be true in the Democrat primary for U.S. Senate. The race is tightening up, but will Julianna Stratton peak too late to beat Raja Krishnamoorthi? That’s what we’ll be watching.
We cover the latest in the comptroller’s race before our guest and candidate for IL-17 Julie Bickelhaupt talks about her race in one of the few districts Republicans might be able to play offense this cycle. Speaking of a flippable district, House District 97 became even more in play for Republicans as Henry Benton was removed from the Democrat Caucus for what appear to be serious behavioral problems, making the seat even more vulnerable for Democrats than it was. 
We finish off the political portion of the episode by updating you on AFP Illinois’ efforts to push Republican leadership’s preferred candidates across the finish line in key senate and house GOP primary races. Then we get into some policy, including the latest on talks about the Bears’ future and how Springfield is targeting local governments yet again…and they’re not happy.
This far into the episode, we cover an extremely important topic you shouldn’t skip. More Americans are identifying as independents than ever before. This carries across all demographics but it’s especially true in younger to middle-aged voters as well as suburban areas. The reasoning is pretty clear: they don’t like how far Democrats are moving to the left, and they don’t like the Republican brand and some of our most visible leaders. Right now, everyday working people feel like they don’t have a home. Republicans should do something about this instead of constantly saying we don’t need their votes, all we need is our base.
00:00: Introductions06:20: GOP Gov Candidates Angry at Frontrunner for Skipping Debates Yet Focus Attacks on Each Other16:20: Gloves Finally Come Off in US Senate Race as Stratton Showing Signs of Momentum23:20: With Pritzker Pushing His Candidate for Comptroller, Will the Office Remain Independent?27:14: Republican Julie Bickelhaupt Running for IL-1734:37: Harry Benton Kicked Out of Dem Caucus Over Sexual Harassment Allegations, HD97 in Play41:26: Americans for Prosperity Spending Big in Illinois Republican Primaries45:00: Indiana vs Illinois Battle for the Bears Intensifies53:50: Municipalities and Local Governments in Illinois Yet Again Being Targeted by Springfield01:06:19: Record High Number of Americans Identify as Independent 01:21:22: Far Left Democrats File Bill to Block Federal Scholarship Tax Credit 01:23:25: Senate Democrats Push Bill That Will Increase Grocery Prices 01:25:02: Green Energy Dems Make Warehouses Their Next Target 01:26:48: Cook County Democrats Want to Force Businesses to Publish Wide Range of Internal Practices 01:28:39: Chicago Democrat Wants to Hide Rental Payment History from Landlords and Credit Ratings 01:30:46: Illinois Among the Worst in the Country in Job Growth 01:31:48: Illinois Taxpayers Pay Over $50k/Job for Pritzker Press Release on Japanese Manufacturer 01:33:12: Chicago Business License Fees Increased as Much as 400%01:34:31: Chicago's Credit Rating Downgraded to Just Above Junk Status01:35:46: Chicago Leads the Nation in People in Financial Distress 01:37:19: Bipartisan Group of Legislators File Common-Sense Energy Bills 01:39:02: OG & Clown of the Week 01:51:58: Closing Thoughts

We already had a jam-packed episode and then the Bears had to go and be the center of attention ahead of our recording. First a hearing in Springfield was cancelled and then Indiana legislators passed legislation and the Bears made a cryptic announcement. Are we actually going to see the Hammond Bears?
Collin Corbett discusses everything inside Illinois politics with U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy, The Citizen Farmers Executive Director Chelsie Leffelman, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak. The panel starts by discussing how the Bears seriously considering another state is something we see quite often with everyday businesses who are looking for better, more affordable business climates.
We then spend a bulk of the episode covering Pritzker’s budget address. To make it easy to follow, we break up the discussion by topic. The main takeaway: Pritzker again wants to spend more and tax more. Surprise!
It’s Pritzker’s 8th budget address yet he’s still blaming everyone else but himself. He offers little-to-no solutions to making life more affordable. He and the Democrats claim to be the party of affordability yet they constantly increase costs.
From cutting local government funding yet again (which forces more property tax increases) to imposing new taxes and fees to exhausting our energy capacity, Pritzker and the Democrats keep making it harder and harder for working families to get by.
We transition into political topics where Don Tracy shares why he believes he’s the best candidate to win for U.S. Senate come November. We dive into both sides of the Senate race, including how the Chicago Tribune danced around giving Don and Raja endorsements. And later we get into the governor’s race. Each campaign is making their own moves: Bailey received the Daily Herald endorsement, Heidner is out with new ads, and Dabrowski filed a lawsuit over Champaign County misspelling his name on the ballot. We cover much more, so dive into the episode to hear more about each race.
We close talking about the fallout from Neil Anderson's ill-advised bills, the latest in the fair maps amendment effort, and more.
00:00: Introductions02:47: Quick Comments on the Bears08:05: JB Pritzker Proposes Spending Nearly a Billion Dollars More and Further Increasing Taxes20:30: Pritzker Continues Blaming Trump for State's Fiscal Problems25:39: Pritzker Introduces a New Social Media Tax31:24: Pritzker Plans to Cut Local Government Funding Yet Again34:26: Pritzker Talks Affordability While Proposing Few Solutions40:13: Pritzker Wants to Take Away Local Control of Housing Zoning47:09: Pritzker Proposes Two-Year Suspension of Data Center Tax Incentives51:15: Pritzker Says He Wants to Speed Up New Nuclear Construction53:53: Republican Don Tracy Running for U.S. Senate01:09:13: Republicans Running for Governor Enter Final Primary Stretch01:30:57: Chicago Tribune Rolls Out Endorsements01:33:08: Fallout Continues from Neil Anderson's Ill-Advised Bills01:36:10: Fair Maps Organizers Announce Suspension of Illinois Amendment Effort01:37:42: Susana Mendoza and Daily Herald Call for Illinois to Opt In to Federal Scholarship Tax Credit01:40:59: HD94 Race Between Norine Hammond and Josh Higgins Getting Nasty01:49:21: Metro East Democrat Pushes Mandate on Grocery Stores and Small Businesses That Would Raise Prices 01:51:18: Kane County Republican Shines a Light on 3rd-Party Lawsuit Investing 01:52:35: OG & Clown of the Week 01:58:28: Closing Thoughts 

If you want to hear about policy or politics, this week’s episode is exactly what you’re looking for. And it was the perfect day to record as we got to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday—someone who plays a pivotal role in our Long9 Studio branding.
We’ve got State Senator Jason Plummer, former Illinois Comptroller and Deputy Governor Leslie Munger, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak joining Collin Corbett, where they begin discussing legislation that Democrats are licking their chops to hit Republicans on. Insiders from both sides of the aisle say Neil Anderson’s bills on personhood and the death penalty will have a big impact in the upcoming election. Democrats are already preparing their attack ads in vulnerable districts. 
We move on to discussing energy and data centers. Pritzker and his allies reduced our energy supply, despite his claims to the contrary, and made data centers a huge priority in their economic development. Now, with energy prices skyrocketing, the same people who created this crisis are the ones who want to decide the regulations for new data centers. You can trust them, right? Right?
We touch on the state budget, talking about how Democrat are lining up to spend money the state may or may not have, depending on who you ask. We then move into the campaign section, starting with the comptroller’s race. Pritzker is now publicly backing Margaret Croke’s campaign, so we wonder how she could ever be an independent check-and-balance in that role. 
We go over the latest in the governor’s race (not much), and cover both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Senate race. Then we move into local legislative races, starting with Senate District 33 where Don DeWitte is retiring, which has become a bit of a battle between the party and labor groups. We cover the latest in House Districts 94, 118, and 76, before getting into many bad bills and developments in our news you can use section. 
00:00: Introductions01:34: Democrats Giddy Over Neil Anderson's Personhood and Death Penalty Bills22:23: Pritzker Falsely Claims He Hasn't Decreased Energy Supply While Chasing Data Centers36:32: Democrats and Their Allies Lining Up to Spend More State Money43:55: Pritzker Endorses Margaret Croke and Crypto Becomes an Issue in IL Comptroller Race49:48: Rick Heidner Invests More as Politicos Question His Commitment to IL Governor's Race01:03:08: More Pritzker Spending for Stratton While Don Tracy Consolidating Support in IL Senate Race01:09:06: Sniping Over Funding Between Jessica Breugelmans and Danielle Penman in SD3301:11:29: Oppo Starts to Fly Against Josh Higgins in HD94 as He Gains Conservative Endorsements01:13:39: Harold Visser Picks Up Freedom Caucus Endorsement in HD11801:14:42: Murri Briel in HD76 Failed to Renew Her Domain, and Now Republicans Own It01:16:19: Moody's Predicts Fewer Jobs and Fewer People in Illinois 01:17:35: Incomes in Illinois Rising the Slowest in the Midwest, 5th Slowest in the Country 01:18:17: Health Insurance Costs in Illinois Highest of Surrounding States, 7th Highest in the Nation 01:19:15: Illinois Pension Systems Worst Funded in the U.S. for the 3rd Year in a Row 01:20:13: Illinois Company John Deere Picks IN and KY for Expansion 01:22:04: Quantum Hub in Chicago Has Produced Just 300 Jobs, Costing Taxpayers $276k Per Job 01:23:46: Cook County Democrats Want to Increase Illinois Minimum Wage to $27/Hour01:25:25: Lake County Democrat Brings Back the Bag Tax 01:26:19: Chicago Democrat Wants to Increase Fees for Electric Vehicles and Install Mileage Trackers 01:27:10: DuPage Democrat Wants to Follow Europe's Lead and Install Speed Limiters in Vehicles 01:28:55: Chicago Dem Wants Property Tax Breaks for Cook County Municipal Workers...But No One Else 01:30:24: Chicago Democrat Files Multiple Bills Which Would Increase Health Insurance Costs01:31:41: Cook County's Property Tax Distribution Ineptitude Costing Libraries and Taxpayers Millions 01:33:55: Good News: Hard Fought BIPA Reform Showing Immediate Positive Results 01:36:06: OG & Clown of the Week 01:40:44: Closing Thoughts