Democrats Continue to Alienate Voters & It’s Time for Republicans to Step In—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 120

Football season is back, and Illinois sports betters will be paying extra thanks to Democrats. Democrats question why they are underperforming with young men. If only Republicans had a serious candidate for governor to speak out on these issues…

Joining Collin Corbett on Smoke-Filled Room this week, along with Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, are former State Representative Dan Caulkins and policy expert Carolyn Schofield.

The group begins discussing the latest around the National Guard and ICE in Chicago. While whether the National Guard will come to Chicago is up in the air, it sounds like ICE is ramping up their presence. We talk about how Blacks and Hispanics are more supportive because they are the ones being impacted by crime the most, but Pritzker and Democrats would rather cater to liberal whites. 

We respond to Pritzker’s conspiracy theory that Trump is deploying troops to interfere with the 2026 elections…14 months from now. We’ve become so numb to what Pritzker says because nothing is ever the full truth, but that doesn’t make it right.

Finishing this topic, we analyze recent polling about federal help in Chicago, especially how Hispanics are supportive of more law enforcement, despite what Democrats try to say. This is why Hispanics continue moving towards Republicans. This aligns with a later topic in the episode where we highlight how Republicans are passing Democrats in voter registration across the country.

We then discuss the political landscape, starting with the governor’s race. We’re still in the same position as last week, and the week before that, and the week before that, and... Ted Dabrowski busted the fundraising caps but has yet to officially announce, and there is no news from Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar. We talk through scenarios, including how Bailey performed in 2022 compared to Rauner in 2018 in key legislative districts we need to win in 2026.

We discuss updates in HD47 and HD52 before highlighting this week’s news you can use and OGs and clowns of the week.

00:00: Introductions
04:04: ICE Ramping Up Operations in Chicago, National Guard May Not Come
20:20: Pritzker Starts Conspiracy Theory Claiming Trump Deploying Troops to Interfere with 2026 Elections
30:46: Chicago Situation Shows Why the Left Is Struggling So Badly with Hispanics
39:31: Dabrowski Inches Closer to IL Gov Campaign Announcement While Bailey / Del Mar Rumors Fly
01:07:12: House Republican Pick to Replace Amy Grant in HD47 Emerges: Robert Vrankovich
01:09:29: Democratic Primary to Challenge Marty McLaughlin in HD52 Down to 2 Candidates
01:11:25: As NFL Season Starts, Sports Bettors to Pay Surcharge on Bets Thanks to IL Dems
01:22:00: Democrats Falling Behind Republicans in Voter Registration Across the Country
01:25:21: Democrat Addison Township Supervisor Doesn't Even Live in the Township
01:28:22: Justice Department Sues Illinois Over In-State Tuition and Scholarships for Illegal Immigrants
01:30:31: Homeschoolers Alerted that Terra Costa Howard Considered Frontrunner for Judicial Appointment
01:34:28: OG & Clown of the Week
01:46:18: Closing Thoughts