Long9 Studio

With last week’s episode being from the State Fair, we weren’t able to get into campaign announcements or issues impacting Illinoisans, so we have a full agenda with 2 weeks worth of intel to share.
Collin Corbett is joined this week by State Representative Regan Deering, Director of the Illinois Freedom Caucus Collin Moseley, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak. 
Well, time has run out. After months of potential Republican candidates teasing statewide runs, but not pulling the trigger, Darren Bailey has said he’s seriously considering running again. We still might see Ted Dabrowski, Aaron Del Mar, or someone else jump in, but one thing is for sure: whoever wins better have the right operations and messaging in place to hold JB Pritzker accountable.
There have also been numerous campaign announcements over the past two weeks. Don Tracy announced his campaign for US Senate, giving Republicans a solid candidate at the top of the ticket. Chris officially announced he is bowing out of the Illinois Comptroller’s race as Bryan Drew was passing petitions at Republican Day (Chris even endorsed Bryan). Plus, more Republicans are stepping up to run in IL-17, SD36, and HD112.
We later get into major pain points for Illinoisans, including Pritzker’s answer to lagging test scores being to lower the state’s proficiency standards. Regan, a former school teacher, highlights how diminishing the standards does not set up our children to succeed.
Plus, we talk how non-citizens are receiving even more taxpayer-funded benefits, Pritzker’s hypocrisy continuing on gerrymandering as he opposes fair maps in Illinois, and how rising electricity costs are impacting the pocketbooks of working families and it’s a message Republicans can win on now.
We close out this week’s Smoke-Filled Room covering news you can use in your outreach to voters and giving our OGs and clowns of the week.
00:00: Introductions02:31: With Limited Republican Movement in Illinois Governor's Race, Darren Bailey Hinting at a Return17:32: Don Tracy Announces Campaign for US Senate25:42: Bryan Drew Running for Illinois Comptroller31:51: Julie Bickelhaupt Announces for IL-17, Setting Up Primary Against Dillan Vancil36:25: Brad Beekman to Run for SD36, Joining Patrick Harlan in Race Against Mike Halpin42:52: Jimmy Ford to Challenge Katie Stuart in HD11245:19: Pritzker's Answer for Lagging Test Scores in Illinois Schools: Lower State Proficiency Standards54:59: Pritzker Signs Bill Giving More Taxpayer-Funded Benefits to Non-Citizens01:02:40: Pritzker Continues to Show Hypocrisy on Gerrymandering, Refuses to Support Fair Maps in IL01:08:56: Pritzker, Environmentalists, and Allies Continue to Refuse Common Sense Solutions to Energy Crisis01:16:28: Illinois Auditor General Once Again Finds DCFS Violating State Law, with 29 of 34 Repeat Issues01:18:28: Pritzker Signs Massive Trial Lawyers Giveaway Bill01:19:23: AbbVie Spending Only 2% of Their $10 Billion Investment in Illinois, Their Home State01:21:19: Already Taxing a Tax on Gas, Illinois May Tax a Tax on Sports Betting Too 01:24:31: Businesses Fleeing Chicago: 17% Decline Citywide, as High as 51% on Magnificent Mile 01:25:53: Will County Democrat Jacqueline Traynere Charged with Computer Tampering 01:26:55: OG & Clown of the Week01:33:48: Closing Thoughts

We’re coming to you from Springfield, where we were joined by Republicans from across Illinois for the State Fair and Republican Day. Amidst petitions being passed, we squeezed in some time for an in-person Smoke-Filled Room with State Senator Don DeWitte and Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party Aaron Del Mar, plus Michael Butler, Mr. Comptroller Chris Jackowiak, and Collin Corbett. 
We began with some introspective conversations on how we can strengthen our party to win key seats up and down the ballot. We have work to do to be worthy of victory, but a lot of positivity was shared by our panel as we talked about how we can get there.
We also share the latest news as things may finally be coming together with serious Republican candidates for statewide office. Several announced in and around Republican Day at the State Fair, and others are claiming they will announce very soon.
We later dive into the political topics. We begin by talking about how Pritzker’s presidential ambitions are putting a bigger spotlight on the Democrats’ failures in Illinois. Pritzker is no longer focused on Illinoisans, everything he does now is about making him look like a presidential candidate. As this negative attention grows, this further weakens him in Illinois—creating a great opportunity for Republicans if we take advantage of it.
But it’s not all about the top of the ticket. Legislative races may be the biggest races in the entire state in 2026, and we can’t forget about our county and judicial races, where in some areas Republicans have lost ground and need to regain it and in others Republicans have been winning and need to run up the score. 
We end with some insight on the potential new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, which we haven’t covered in a while, and Don had some thoughts he wanted to share.
00:00: Introductions03:14: Republicans in Illinois Need Hope17:10: How Can We Make It More Attractive to Run as a Republican in Illinois?28:18: What Does It Mean to Be a Republican in Illinois?40:03: Pritzker's Presidential Ambitions Putting a Giant Spotlight on Illinois Democrats' Failures48:49: Statewide Republican Candidates Beginning to Emerge55:33: Biggest Races This Cycle May Be Our Legislative Races01:05:03: Big Movement Lately at the County Level, Sometimes For and Sometimes Against Us01:08:50: When It Comes to the Bears, Why Doesn’t Pritzker See the Potential Return on Investment?01:12:45: Closing Thoughts

Wait. Is Chris Jackowiak really running for Comptroller?! Watch and find out.
Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak join State Senator Li Arellano, Make Illinois Great Again PAC Chairman Matthew Rauschert, and host Collin Corbett for an explosive episode. 
They begin by diving into the latest issue that JB Pritzker is latching onto in his desperation to get national media exposure, yet he picked an issue that even his most ardent defenders can’t defend. As Texas Democrats fled to Illinois over gerrymandering, even Brandon Johnson said it’d be nice to see Pritzker put this much effort into Chicago and Illinois. 
Pritzker’s favorables have dipped into the negative for the first time, and his failures are all starting to catch up to him. Yet Republicans don’t have anyone running who can call him out on any of it. Worse, there are 7 statewide offices on the ballot next election, and right now we have, at most, 1 semi-serious candidate.
This spurs an impromptu discussion about how Republicans don’t have leaders willing to sacrifice to turn this ship around. Even the Republicans who aren’t seeking re-election are simply getting out of the game. But Republicans have to prove to donors and voters in 2026 that we are worthy of investment so we can take advantage of likely better years in 2028 and 2030. Wins don’t just happen, you earn them—and right now we’re not worthy of victory.
We then get into the latest political developments across the state as petitions are officially being passed. We have good news in HD52 with Martin McLaughlin announcing he’s running for re-election, but that’s followed by bad news as Amy Grant decided she wouldn’t be running for re-election in HD47. We talk through other announcements in both the House and Senate, and then have an important conversation about the need for candidates to have tailored and strategic messaging that is right for them and their district. We give constructive advice to candidates on how to have good messaging that resonates with voters.
We close down this week’s Smoke-Filled Room with news you can use and our OGs and clowns of the week.
00:00: Introductions05:13: Texas Democrats Flee to the Most Gerrymandered State in America to Protest Gerrymandering20:09: Pritzker's Favorability Underwater for the First Time, Yet Still No Serious Statewide GOP Challengers39:12: Why Are Republicans In Illinois So Scared?57:52: Marty McLaughlin to Run for Re-Election and Fight to Defend HD5201:00:53: Amy Grant Not Running for Re-Election in HD4701:03:10: Liz Bishop Wants a Rematch in HD7601:06:38: Jessica Breugelmans Appears to Be the GOP Choice to Replace DeWitte in SD3301:08:39: Senate Republicans Pushing Daniel Rhyne in SD5701:12:19: Tosi Ufodike Running Again for Now-Open HD5101:16:22: Kathy Easton Steps Up to Challenge Dave Vella in HD6801:23:58: Craig Wilcox Draws Democrat Challenger in SD3201:25:23: Republicans: Stop Burying Voters in Issues01:31:08: Grundy-Kendall-Will Regional Office of Education Caught Using Tax Dollars for Private Benefit01:33:30: Illinois' Anti-Business Environment Hurting Our Schools01:35:12: OG & Clown of the Week 01:44:25: Closing Thoughts

Warning: petitions get circulated starting on Tuesday which means our next episode will officially be during campaign season. But before we officially launch into campaign season, we have a new SFR diving into JB Pritzker’s failures and hypocrisy, as well as solutions that we can rally behind as a party to help Illinoisans.
State Senator Terri Bryant joins us upon returning from Canada where she represented Illinois at the Midwestern Legislative Conference, along with Vice President of IFRW Diane Jordan, Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, and host Collin Corbett.
More has come out about Pritzker’s and DCFS’s failures leading to the death of Mackenzi Felmlee. We play audio of an interview where JB does what he always does: pass the buck and blame someone else. We discuss how DCFS failed our state’s most vulnerable with a caseworker who should not be supervising children. And we talk about how hard Pritzker and his administration are working to cover this tragedy so it doesn’t derail his presidential ambitions.
We then talk Republican and Democratic politics across the state. We discuss the governor’s race, now that Don Tracy’s name has surfaced as a potential candidate, and what type of ticket we need to win in 2026. And we discuss the latest legislative race developments.
We highlight Pritzker getting called out for his hypocrisy on gerrymandering, and the new bi-partisan fair maps initiative in Illinois. Then we talk energy, as Terri Bryant sheds light on the need for nuclear energy expansion in Illinois, especially now as electricity prices have skyrocketed, which has become the cost-of-living issue for working families.
We close the episode with more quick hits, including Pritzker’s “big” Lion Electric deal which left school districts with school buses with voided warranties, Chicago GDP growth the slowest in the nation, and Illinois property taxes now the highest in the country.
00:00: Introductions02:26Pritzker and DCFS Continuing to Cover Up Their Failures in Mackenzi Felmlee's Death15:52: Don Tracy Considering Run for Illinois Governor30:18: Nabeela Syed Announces Run for SD2637:26: More Republican State Legislators Announce Retirements51:33: Good News for Senate Republicans in SD24 and SD3355:14: Bi-Partisan Fair Maps Initiative Launches While Pritzker Continues Gerrymandering Hypocrisy01:06:07: Illinois Working Families Buried By Massive Electricity Bills01:13:19: We're #1! Illinois Officially Tops NJ for Highest Property Taxes01:15:25: Number of State Employees Caught Defrauding PPP Now Nearly 37501:16:12: Pritzker's "Big Deal" Lion Electric Voids Warranties on Buses Sold to School Districts01:19:15: Brandon Johnson Pushing Tax Hikes While Chicago's GDP Growth Slowest in the Nation01:23:06: Cook County Taxes Due, Yet County Democrats Can't Figure Out How to Mail the Bills01:24:43: Chicago Restaurants See Labor and Product Costs Skyrocket 35%01:27:05: OG & Clown of the Week01:35:34: Closing Thoughts

Dark clouds and storms were rolling in at the start of our recording…it was almost a sign for what we’d be discussing in this week’s Smoke-Filled Room with Collin Corbett, former state representatives Mark Batinick and Tom Demmer, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak.
We begin recapping our special episode from last week, looking at where Republicans could win in 2026. Tom talks about the need for quality candidates. Mark agrees, and also highlights how incumbency matters, and how we must get better at VBM. We also talk about much of the action in 2026 being in the State Senate, compared to 2024 when it was in the House.
We transition to a much more somber and serious conversation, one we’ve had before but it’s now become even more serious. DCFS is failing under JB Pritzker. We highlight a heartbreaking story of yet another avoidable loss and how DCFS is trying to cover it up—something that has happened over 1,200 times since 2018.
Governor Flip-Flop also got called out this week for his hypocrisy on gerrymandered maps. He is rightfully being skewered for calling Texas Republicans “cheaters” for thinking about redrawing their maps, when Illinois has the most gerrymandered maps in the country…maps he approved (after promising he wouldn’t)!
We then get into political topics—first discussing Susana Mendoza’s announcement not to run for re-election for Comptroller. This showed the difference between Democrats and Republicans because Democrats instantly had candidates ready to announce for Comptroller and Republicans still have no candidates in sight for numerous statewide offices. This led to an inevitable rant and a deeper discussion about needing serious Republican candidates for all statewide offices.
We later discuss Don DeWitte’s retirement announcement. With Don in the race, SD33 played like an R+3, but without him, it’ll play like a D+3. Republicans now have another tough district to defend in 2026.
We then discuss how the Illinois Realtors are perfectly playing the game against the real estate transfer tax and how Illinois Democrats are running an entire statewide slate of Chicago candidates, so apparently we now just live in the State of Chicago. We finish by highlighting news you can use and giving our OGs and clowns of the week.
00:00: Introductions02:26: Feedback on Special SFR Focused on Where IL Republicans Can Win in 202627:43: Yet Another Heartbreaking Failure by Pritzker's DCFS36:29: Governor Flip-Flop Says Gerrymandering Is Ok When He Does It, But Not When Republicans Do It42:51: Susana Mendoza Will Not Run for Re-Election as Comptroller, Creating an Open Seat56:33: Springfield to Lose One of Its Best as Don DeWitte Not Running for Re-Election01:01:59: Realtors Spending Big to Oppose Suburban Property Transfer Taxes to Bail Out Brandon Johnson's CTA01:07:32: Slated Democrat Statewide Candidates All from Chicago01:15:37: Chicago Pension Sweetener Would Cost City Taxpayers $11 Billion01:18:19: Chicago Taxpayers on the Hook for Nearly Half a Billion Because Chicago Refused to Pay $14 Million01:19:46: Chicago Public Schools Lays Off Another 1,500 Employees 01:21:25: Governor Pritzker Publicly Attacks Major Illinois Employer State Farm01:23:09: Rivian Taking Illinois Tax Incentives While Hiring Foreign Workers 01:24:37: Pritzker Using Murdered Child's Name for Political Gain Without Mother's Consent01:25:35: Number of Children Claiming Abuse at Illinois Youth Prisons Now Over 90001:26:18: DuPage County Democrats Wasting Millions in Tax Dollars 01:27:16: OG & Clown of the Week01:33:59: Closing Thoughts

People have been asking for this episode for months, and we’ve finally delivered it. We’re revealing how candidates performed in 2024 and where Republicans can win in Illinois in 2026, all based on data.
In this special episode of Smoke-Filled Room, Collin Corbett, Michael Butler, and Chris Jackowiak unveil data and give analysis you won’t get anywhere else, with a little help from Abbey Corbett.
In part 1, we look at the candidates who overperformed and underperformed throughout Illinois. How did you or your favorite candidate perform? Based on the data, we hand out letter grades…with many that are sure to surprise.
In part 2, we analyze the turnout data from 2024, now that it is fully available statewide. The data challenges assumptions many have just accepted as fact at this point, while revealing several other interesting trends that should shape Republicans’ strategy in 2026.
In part 3, we take all the data to identify which districts and counties Republicans should, and shouldn’t, invest in this election cycle. Is your district or county a start, bench, or cut pick? This caused multiple, and we mean multiple, heated debates among the group as we went through every battleground in the state.
00:00: Introduction to This Special Episode03:29: Part 1: 2024 IL Candidate Performance04:46: 2024 Congressional Candidate Performance20:46: 2024 State Senate Candidate Performance27:55: 2024 State House Candidate Performance01:00:15: Part 2: 2024 IL Turnout Analysis01:00:55: Overall Turnout Was Down01:03:34: Yet Again, Republican Turnout Went Up01:09:33: Democratic Turnout Up in the Suburbs but Down Overall01:14:53: Suburban Turnout Up Overall01:16:07: Older Voter Turnout Increased While Younger Voter Turnout Decreased01:20:51: Minority Turnout Down Again01:26:42: Part 3: 2026 IL District Opportunities01:28:59: 2026 Congressional Opportunities01:38:15: 2026 State Senate Opportunities01:55:11: 2026 State House Opportunities02:33:01: 2026 County Opportunities

This is the most in-depth we’ve gone on a Smoke-Filled Room episode. From the lack of serious Republican statewide candidates to the big beautiful bill, Pritzker’s economic failures, and more, we give you a lot to use this week.
Sharing their insight from Springfield are State Senators Steve McClure and Andrew Chesney, Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, and host Collin Corbett. 
Collin warned you last episode before our holiday break that he was not going to hold back calling out our party for the lack of serious statewide candidates if no one announced by now, and he stuck to his word. Though, he may have been more disheartened than anything. We discuss why Republicans aren’t running, and more importantly why it’s dangerous to let Pritzker run with no one holding him accountable.
We keep hearing Pritzker, Democrats, and the media scare people with exaggerated propaganda about the big beautiful bill. After the panel discusses the bill, Collin put on his “Myth Busters” hat to dive into the details so you know what’s actually in the bill and how Illinois Republicans should message the bill’s impact on Illinoisans. Warning: this section is heady, and we admit it is long. But we encourage you to set aside the time to follow along, because we absolutely must effectively talk about how Republicans are helping working families, seniors, small businesses, manufacturers, and farmers. This will make or break our chances in 2026.
Later, we get into some of the big political topics throughout the state, starting with Pritzker naming Christian Mitchell as his lieutenant governor—someone even Democrats aren’t happy about. We then discuss how even some of Pritzker’s top media defenders are beginning to hound him on Illinois’ economic failures while he focuses on his fading presidential ambitions.
We close down the episode covering some headlines you can use to further highlight the failures of Democrats. After a long, in-depth episode, we end by having some fun with our OGs and clowns of the week.
00:00: Introductions01:25: Still No Serious Statewide Candidates for Republicans33:00: The Big Beautiful Bill Passes and Democrats and the Media Hyperventilate46:30: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Taxes54:38: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Businesses and Jobs58:22: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Deficit01:01:07: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Education01:04:49: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Healthcare01:15:03: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Rural Impact01:16:32: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Food Assistance01:19:23: BBB Details and How IL Republicans Should Message: Immigration01:22:48: Democrat State Rep Rips JB Pritzker's Lieutenant Governor Pick01:34:17: Pritzker Hounded by IL’s Economic Failures As He Fails to Gain Traction for Presidential Ambitions01:46:40: Yet Another Pritzker CEJA Promise a Complete Failure 01:47:47: Homeless Population in Illinois More Than Doubles While Democrats Cut Funding01:48:51: Springfield Democrat Budget Appropriates Half a Million Dollars to College Closed Since 202201:49:30: US Factory Orders Surge 8.2% While Imports Decline 20% and US Adds More Jobs Than Expected01:50:30: OG & Clown of the Week01:56:53: Closing Thoughts 

Opportunity. It was an unintentional recurring theme from today’s Smoke-Filled Room. Whether it’s JB Pritzker’s failures, increasingly further left candidates, or bad policy hurting working families in the state, there are a lot of opportunities for Republicans to grab onto. But the question is: will they?
State Representative Kevin Schmidt, Chairman of the Lake County Republicans Keith Brin, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak join Collin Corbett to break down the opportunities at hand for Republicans.
Pritzker made it official that he’s running for re-election and is now on the second day of his announcement tour. We discuss why he’s running and who might be his running mate. But the real discussion lies around who is going to be the Republican to take him on and what is the narrative we’re going to use to defeat him. Pritzker is more vulnerable than people realize. Republican candidates should be hitting Pritzker for the rising cost of living and the abuse and neglect of our most vulnerable under his watch. But we’re a month away from petition season with barely one serious candidate.
We then shift our discussion to the New York City mayoral race and how Democrats continue moving further and further left. This spurs a good sparring match between Chris and Collin, though they do agree progressives are outworking everyone right now, especially Republicans. While the left is giving us an opportunity, we need to get to work if we’re going to win.
On July 1st, Illinoisans will be hit with even more tax increases on gas, short term rentals, sports betting, tobacco products, and even golf cart rentals. These topics are how we win elections, and Kevin shares how they always come up when he’s going door-to-door. It’s another example of how out of touch Democrats are with working families.
Later, we discuss Democrats actively working to keep your home value from increasing, a new Chicago clinic proudly offering 3rd trimester abortions (despite promises that would never happen in Illinois), and some of the latest Republican campaign announcements.
We close out the episode with news you can use, more opportunities for Republicans, plus we give our OGs and clowns of the week.
00:00: Introductions03:29: JB Pritzker Announces Gubernatorial Re-Election Campaign...Against Trump42:07: Yet Another City Votes for a Socialist Mayor As Democrats Lurch Even Further Left58:00: Cost-of-Living Going Up Even More for Illinois Families on July 1st01:00:45: Next Round of No Kings Rallies on July 4th to Compete with Independence Day Celebrations01:04:45: Illinois Democrats Don't Want Your Home Value to Increase01:13:30: New Chicago Clinic Proudly Offering Abortions Well Into 3rd Trimester01:22:15: Stephanie Trussell Announces Run Against Homeschool Act Sponsor in HD4201:25:16: It's 2024 Again as Niki Conforti (IL-6) and Joshua Loyd (IL-13) Announce Campaigns01:28:37: Illinois Sees Worst Drop in Residents 18-and-Younger, 6th Worst Drop in Working-Age Residents01:30:06: Instead of Reforming the PRB, Pritzker Makes It Harder to Keep Violent Criminals Off the Streets01:31:28: IDES Revises Report, Now Admits Illinois Lost 2,400 Jobs in April01:32:39: Pritzker's Illinois Film Office Taking 22 Months to Approve Film Credits01:33:56: Brandon Johnson Lied About Conducting National Search for New CTA Head01:35:20: CTU President Says Taxpayers Owe CPS $1.2 Billion a Year or We're Complicit with the Confederacy01:36:48: U.S. Bureau of Labor Reports American Workers Are Making More Money01:37:50: OG & Clown of the Week01:44:53: Closing Thoughts 

Happy (nearly) first day of summer—it’s going to be a hot couple of days and we’re matching the intensity by bringing the heat on episode 110 of Smoke-Filled Room.
Joining Collin Corbett to discuss a jam-packed agenda are State Senator Don DeWitte and campaign manager for Brandun Schweizer and Regan Deering Chelsie Leffelman, along with Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak.
We start off with a conversation around the escalating violence within politics after what happened in Minnesota. It’s a scary reality for public officials, just like Don who shared his thoughts on the matter. With JB Pritzker and Democrats continuing their violent rhetoric, it’s no wonder this problem continues to get worse.
Mike Madigan was just sentenced to 7.5 years in prison, becoming yet another Illinois politician to be headed behind bars, yet Illinois Democrats still failed to enact ethics reform last session. Why? Well, Don Harmon, Chris Welch, and many other Democrat leaders seem to be enjoying benefiting from an intentionally broken system.
We then cover 3 big topics: immigration, the budget, and transit. After JB lied in DC, saying Illinois is cooperating with ICE, Brandon Johnson is telling people to resist ICE. More wasteful spending continues to be found in the budget Pritzker just signed into law. Don shares great insight on how money that should be going to support our own citizens, like the developmentally disabled and veterans, was instead spent on illegals. And then we discuss where the transit bill goes from here now that session is over.
We cover the GOP lawsuit against SB238. We’ve seen Democrats file lawsuits against the Trump administration, and now the Senate and House Republicans are starting to deploy the same tactic against Democrats to stop bills that hurt Illinoisans. If Republicans message it correctly, this is a winning strategy.
Later, the group shares their thoughts on the US Senate race and Richard Porter’s seemingly inevitable announcement, another Democrat getting into the race in HD52 to challenge Marty McLaughlin, and data showing Republicans have become the party of the working class.
We close with 6 topics in the news that you should be talking about right now, our OGs and clowns of the week, and some closing thoughts.
00:00: Introductions02:22: Political Violence Grows Even Worse While Democrats Continue Violent Rhetoric11:19: Madigan Sentenced to Prison While Springfield Democrats Continue to Reject Ethics Reform27:00: Brandon Johnson Says to Resist Immigration Enforcement As Chicago Council Squabbles38:25: Pritzker Signs Budget with More Wasteful Spending and Tax Hikes44:54: Where Does Transit Reform Go from Here?51:55: Republicans Taking Fight to the Courts Over Democrats Bending the Rules to Hide Unpopular Legislation57:49: Richard Porter Inches Closer to US Senate Run While Raja Claims Big Lead01:13:01: Third Democrat Enters Primary Race to Challenge Marty McLaughlin in HD5201:18:10: Republicans Now Officially the Party of the Working Class01:30:44: Company Pritzker Wooed in Japan Leaving Illinois for Wisconsin01:31:47: Nearly 2,100 Illinois Workers to Be Laid Off in the Coming Weeks 01:33:35: Elimination of Grocery Tax Leading to Sales Tax Hike in Some Municipalities01:36:49: Chicago Public Schools Refuse to Address Nearly Empty Schools 01:39:07: A Dozen Vulnerable Democrats Receive Perfect Scores from Far-Left Progressive Group 01:40:25: National Blue-Collar Wage Growth Highest in Nearly 60 Years 01:41:22: OG & Clown of the Week01:48:07: Closing Thoughts

Ahhh…session is over and we get to spend an episode talking about what we know best—Illinois politics. Collin Corbett, Michael Butler, and Chris Jackowiak share their thoughts on everything from JB in DC to the latest campaign announcements to what insiders are texting and calling each other about.
Pritzker is getting a taste of the DC life as he was testifying before Congress over sanctuary cities (and if he’s ever used women’s bathrooms before). JB recited talking points pointing to him and Illinois working with ICE, yet in typical contradictory form, he and has administration have done the exact opposite.
We then get into the latest in campaign world with more whispers and announcements. For governor, Dan Ugaste, Ted Drabrowski, and Blaine Wilhour have been floating their names to join Jim Mendrick in the race. For Congress, Republican George Papadopoulos announced his run in IL-8 and Jeff Walter announced he’s challenging Bill Foster in IL-11. And with Democrats already coming hard for him, will Marty McLaughlin be able to defend his seat in HD52?
We then get into some insider talk. We noticed vulnerable members of the Illinois House Democrat caucus were more than willing to vote on unpopular bills, while the vulnerable Senate Democrats mostly took a more strategic approach. Plus, we discuss how veto session aligns with petition filing, and the far-left rallying under the “No Kings” banner.
We wrap up this week’s episode with our news you can use and OGs and clowns of the week before sending you off into the Father’s Day weekend. 
00:00: Introductions03:16: Pritzker Tries to Hide Record on Illegal Immigration As Rioting Begins27:28: More Illinois Republicans Exploring Gubernatorial Runs37:34: Republican George Papadopoulos Running for Congress in IL-842:34: Is Marty McLaughlin Able to Defend HD52 Against Maria Peterson or Jesse Rojo?50:35: Republican Jeff Walter Challenging Bill Foster in IL-1155:49: Republicans Still Lack Serious Statewide Candidates59:36: House and Senate Democrats in Illinois Seem to Have Divergent Strategies01:03:50: Speaker Chris Welch Trolls Tony McCombie with Facebook Post01:06:42: Do Veto Session Dates Indicate Democrats Planning to Call Special Session?01:09:35: The Far-Left Seems to Settle on a Brand: "No Kings"01:20:30: After Failing to Sneak Through Self-Serving Change to State Law, Don Harmon Facing $9.8 Million Fine01:21:47: Illinois Sports Bettors to Pay 50-Cent Fee on Every Wager Thanks to Springfield Democrats01:23:26: US Manufacturing Productivity Up as Trade Deficit Sees Record Decline01:24:58: OG & Clown of the Week 01:34:46: Closing Thoughts