Republican Strongholds Have Turned Blue—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 98

Pour yourself some liquid medication because Tuesday’s election results were not good for Republicans/conservatives. This episode, we focus on our takeaways from Tuesday. 

Sharing their insight includes Republican State Central Committeeman Aaron Del Mar, Chairman of the Clinton County Board Brad Knolhoff, former candidate for state representative Hannah Billingsley, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, with the podcast led by Collin Corbett.

We call it like it is. Center-right candidates got demolished on Tuesday night while the Democrats walked away as the ultimate winners. Former red areas like DuPage County and Barrington Township went blue while center-right mayors in Orland Park, Aurora, and Rock Island lost (among many others). No matter how it’s spun, this is a big deal and bad for Republicans. This better be a wake-up call or 2026 will be a blood bath.

Later we discuss the why and how we can prevent this from happening again. Democrats were motivated: voters wanted to vote against Republicans because of Trump and leaders within Illinois’ Democrat Party were aggressively involved in these races. Until Republicans realize these “non-partisan” races are partisan, we will continue to lose. And plain and simple, Democrats outworked Republicans. From paid voter outreach to grassroots to vote by mail efforts to the GOP’s lack of messaging, the Democrats were taking advantage of every opportunity.

We close our election recap discussing the lessons we need to carry into 2026 and how there is still hope for Republicans with Democrats not having a message beyond attacking Trump and how they keep getting more and more progressive (and out of the mainstream).

We close out this jam-packed episode sharing information on home insurance premiums in IL jumping 50% in the past 3 years, Illinois losing 11,000 jobs in January and February, and more in the News You Can Use section.

00:00: Introductions
03:50: Center-Right Candidates Got Demolished in Tuesday's Local Elections
28:50: Republicans, This Is a Big Deal and We Blew It
35:57: Why Did Republicans and Conservatives Lose So Badly on Tuesday?
57:43: What Lessons Can Be Learned from Tuesday So We Can Do Better?
01:20:38: Is There Any Hope for Republicans in Illinois?
01:36:39: Illinois Home Insurance Premiums Jumped 50% in Past Three Years
01:37:39: Illinois Lost 11k Jobs January Through February
01:41:06: Illinois Ranked Last in Nation for Ability to Withstand a Financial Crisis
01:43:52: The Middle Class is Shrinking Because They're Becoming Upper Class
01:46:51: OG & Clown of the Week 
01:55:31: Closing Thoughts