Kristi Noem in Springfield, Public Transit Bailout, and a US Senate Race—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 103

We’re trying out a new format this month, rotating between special guests and Michael and Chris. Which drove Chris crazy this week, because he had lots of thoughts on Da Pope and Kristi Noem!

Collin Corbett is joined by 3 expert guests ready to break down Illinois politics. Craig Wilcox joins from the belly of the beast after finishing up session for the week in Springfield, along with legislative and policy expert Carolyn Schofield and Vice Chairman of the Tazewell County Republican Party Corey Allen. 

We start with the press conference that was headlined in newspapers across the country—Homeland Security Advisor Kristi Noem came to Springfield to talk illegal immigration. This was a press conference about violent illegal immigrants, yet the media painted this as Republicans being anti-immigrant. How could we have better controlled the narrative? We discuss.

Then we discuss more candidate announcements impacting 2026. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi throw their hats in the ring while we wait to hear about Lauren Underwood. We keep talking about new Democrats announcing every week, yet we still don’t have credible Republican candidates. August will be here sooner than people realize….

We take it down to Springfield where we shout out Illinois pork producers and the true public servants and American heroes who made May 7th Illinois Bacon Day. Then on a more serious note, Craig and Carolyn, who is a Vice-Chair for CMAP, discuss the public transit system fiscal cliff. Where is the funding going to come from, and how much of a burden will be placed on taxpayers? And we talk about how even rosier revenue projections still have Illinois coming up $700 million short of Pritzker’s spending plan. Get ready for tax increases, or “revenue enhancements.”

We start to close with our News You Can Use section, where we show that governing by splashy press conferences doesn’t actually deliver results, Illinois home prices lag the growth seen everywhere else in the country, manufacturing orders are on the rise for the 3rd straight month, and more.

00:00: Introductions
02:47: Kristi Noem Comes to Springfield to Talk Illegal Immigration
20:34: Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi Announce Campaigns for US Senate
36:28: Most Important: Illinois Bacon Day Was This Week
38:42: Public Transit Bailout's Status Unclear as Session Nears End
52:06: Even with Rosier Projections, Springfield Still Faces $700 Million Budget Deficit
56:23: Illinois Democrats Launch 2026 Candidate Recruitment Program
01:05:45: Lion Electric Failure a Reminder That Splashy Press Conferences Don't Create Jobs
01:08:33: Illinois Home Value Growth Worst in the Nation
01:12:00: US Manufacturing Orders Rising and Private Sector Job Growth Beating Expectations
01:16:43: OG & Clown of the Week
01:30:25: Closing Thoughts