Kim Foxx’s Protege to the Rescue, Springfield—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 86

We are so back!
 
After taking a few weeks off to recharge over the holidays, we’ve come back strong and ready to take on 2025.
 
Joining host Collin Corbett for our first episode of the year are State Senator Steve McClure, Former House Republican Floor Leader Mark Batinick, Director of the Illinois Freedom Caucus Collin Moseley, and the Cor Strategies political experts, Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak.
 
We start the episode covering what happened during lame duck session the past few days in Springfield which left Governor Pritzker, Speaker Welch, and Mayor Johnson sniping at each other in public and private.
 
We covered a few other recent hot political topics, including Tony McCombie being under fire for a vote she made in 2023, while Chris Welch continues to prove he cannot manage a caucus in more ways than one (but never fear, Kim Foxx acolyte Clayton Harris is coming to the rescue!)
 
After taking a few weeks off, you had to know Collin had a rant stored up that he’d need to let out at some point. It happened, talking about House Republican messaging during the inauguration compared to Democrat messaging. Following that, Steve didn’t quite rant, but he did shine a spotlight on an enlightening tidbit related to non-citizens being encouraged by Illinois to register to vote.
 
Then we had some fun and talked 2026 in light of Pritzker and Stratton doing their polling. Who will or won’t run for what? Hear our thoughts, then let us know what you think.
 
We finish off the agenda with our quick hits: “news you can use” in your campaigns, organizations, or even just daily conversations to contrast with our opposition. This week we provided 6 key stories in the news recently.
 
Then, as always, we close with our OGs and clowns of the week. And, boy, there were some doozies.

00:00: Introductions
04:53: Hemp Bill Exposes Fracture Between Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and Speaker Welch
10:19: Democrats Push Agenda While Republicans Oppose Lame Duck Session
28:52: McCombie Under Fire for Vote on Gender Change in 2023 Healthcare Bill
43:00: Speaker Chris Welch Staff Turnover Continues As He Hires Kim Foxx Acolyte as Chief of Staff
49:54: Inauguration Press Releases Show Contrast in Messaging Between Democrats and Republicans
58:01: Concerns Raised Over Non-Citizens Registering to Vote in Illinois
01:03:41: JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton Polling, Fueling 2026 Speculation
01:15:56: Biden Commuted Former Dixon Comptroller Who Stole $54 Million from Taxpayers
01:17:17: Springfield Mandates Lead to Big Health Insurance Rate Increases Yet Again in 2025
01:19:36: Neglect Continues at State Run Facilities Under Pritzker's Watch
01:21:53: Illinois Ranked 44th in the Country for Wage Increases
01:24:27: Illinois' Job Growth Nearly Nonexistent Since 2019
01:26:14: Illinois Public Pensions Near Record Funding Hole
01:28:24: OG & Clown of the Week
01:37:13: Closing Thoughts