New Polling Says Majority of Illinoisans Can’t Afford to Live Here—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 119

Illinois is at the epicenter of the national news this week which means we have a lot to cover in this week’s Smoke-Filled Room.

State Representative Patrick Sheehan, Chairman of the Tazewell County Republicans Jim Rule, Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, along with Collin Corbett, begin by discussing the topic everyone in the country is talking about: will the National Guard be sent into Chicago?

Brandon Johnson and JB Pritzker have been holding press conferences and making media appearances telling Trump not to send in troops to help clean up crime. Pritzker’s hypocrisy shines: during COVID, he was willing to infringe on our rights to save just one life. Yet when Trump wants to do it, JB puts up a fight.

There are a ton of campaign updates, and we start with the governor’s race. We play out what a Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar ticket would look like. Can they bring our party together and create the “big tent” we need to win in 2026? Plus, we still don’t know if Ted Dabrowski is getting in the race. Is it too late?

In the race for US Senate, Don Tracy put $2 million into his campaign, showing he is going to run a serious campaign that is capable of winning and helping down ballot Republicans. On the legislative side, the number 1 pickup opportunity for Republicans is SD48, and Republicans have a serious candidate in Frank Lesko to take on Doris Turner.

The Q2 Illinois Voter Tracking Poll by EmpowerToWin was released this week, and the main takeaway (yet again) was Illinoisans cannot afford to live here. This isn’t just a Republican feeling either—every demographic, even liberals and Democrats, are saying Illinois is too expensive. Yet voters are ok with the direction Illinois is headed and slightly optimistic about our economy. This shows voters won’t just break our way in the election—we have a lot of work to do to win.

We later get into CTA’s fiscal cliff, Democrats going scorched-earth, and 10 topics of “news you can use.” And, before signing off for Labor Day weekend, we give our OGs and clowns of the week. 

00:00: Introductions
02:05: Trump Threatens to Send National Guard to Chicago
22:21: Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar Considering Team Up in Illinois Governor's Race
40:24: Don Tracy Shows Commitment to US Senate Race, Puts In $2 Million
44:59: Republicans Get Their Candidate, Frank Lesko to Challenge Doris Turner in SD48
47:00: More Candidates Announce in State Legislative Races
50:30: Latest Illinois Voter Tracking Poll Shows Top Issues Right Now
01:00:32: Popular Transportation Program for People with Disabilities Defunded to Delay CTA's Fiscal Cliff
01:08:11: Scorched-Earth Dems Willing to Hurt Everyone As Long As They Hurt Their Enemies
01:13:30: Despite Obvious Evidence of Abuse, 10 Different DCS Caseworkers Did Nothing to Help Mackenzi Felmlee
01:17:27: Pritzker's IDOC Failures Force Illinois Inmates to Be Stuck in Solitary Confinement for Two Years
01:18:53: Pritzker's Administrative Failures Again on Display As IDHS Audit Worst Lawmaker Has Ever Seen
01:19:49: Pritzker Takes Credit for New Fertilizer Plant Announced Back in 2013
01:21:47: Pritzker's IDES Celebrates State's Unemployment Rate Despite Being Ranked 40th in the Country
01:22:50: In IL, Donations to Dem Politicians More Important to Hospital Than Treating Chicago's Most Vulnerable
01:23:47: Chicago Public School's Debt Over $28k Per Student
01:25:16: Chicago Grocery Store Owner Given 3.5 Year Prison Sentence for $8.3 Million in SNAP and WIC Fraud
01:26:00: Health Insurance Premiums to Increase to Cover Laser Hair Removal for Transgenders
01:27:03: Half Million Dollar Superintendent Retires, Will Receive Obscene Pension
01:29:00: OG & Clown of the Week 
01:36:59: Closing Thoughts