As Biden Unravels, Are We Wasting this Opportunity in Illinois?—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 61

Today as this podcast comes out, 3 candidates for Illinois GOP Chair make their pitch to the State Central Committee on why they should lead our party into the November elections. With less than 3 months until voting begins, we’re still fighting ourselves…

We have insiders from across Illinois joining us on this week’s Smoke-Filled Room, including former House Republican Leader Mark Batinick, former State Representative Tom Morrison, State Central Committeeman Larry Smith, Cor’s political experts Chris Jackowiak and Michael Butler, and host Collin Corbett.

After Larry and our guests dive into the chairman decision, Collin and Chris get into a bare knuckles brawl over a Jesse Sullivan tweet in our new segment, “Boy, That Escalated Quickly.” Michael was supposed to join Chris’s side but ended up switching to Collin’s side, so they ended up ganging up on poor Chris.

Mark then teases some new polling that shows the Illinois political landscape shifting and how certain districts are in play that may not have mattered before. Tom shares a boots-on-the-ground update in House District 51 and how Republicans like Tosi Ufodike are fighting in winnable districts to flip key seats. 

We close the episode talking about how Illinois’ economy is lagging, Pritzker’s own administration admitting arresting criminals works, Democrats further raising healthcare insurance costs on working families, and more.

00:00: Introductions
01:56: Three Republicans Jockeying for ILGOP Chair Position
24:17: Jesse Sullivan Tweets Good Christians Shouldn't Be Involved in Party Politics 
36:25: Illinois Democrats Struggling to Respond as Biden Spirals
48:33: Illinois Political Landscape Shifting
54:37: In 2nd Best Pickup Opportunity for Republicans, Tosi Ufodike Running Hard in HD51
57:12: Will County Board Republicans Expose Cybercrime by Democratic Leader
01:00:21: Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability Admits IL Economy Lagging Badly
01:07:21: As Shootings Continue in Pro-Crime Chicago, Pritzker's State Police Admit Arresting Criminals Works
01:10:13: As Working Families Struggle, Democrats Boast About Increasing Health Insurance Costs 
01:16:16: OG & Clown of the Week
01:20:08: Closing Thoughts