The Steve Cochrane Show explores this question through a roundtable conversation between Steve, Jane, and Pat. Listen or read the full transcript below!

The following is a transcript of an episode from The Steve Cochrane Show podcast.

Steve: Show number 89. Sure. I’m a little emotional. Who knew? 89 shows could actually happen and 89 Show just brings all your friends in, you know? And I said, Steve, do you wanna come back to radio after a couple years? I said, Man, I don’t know if I can get to 89 shows. Turns out we did. Yeah. Congratulations. Nine looks good on you.

Thank you. I was just talking to my friend Bridge again, or I haven’t seen since Pre pandemic. Yes. And to a, they both look. You look great. Obviously I can’t speak for my face and, uh, Pat Brady, who I see far too much, um, and they’re both here. Pat, thank you for coming in.

Pat: It’s good to be here. Steve, haven’t seen you since we left the golf course on

Steve: Friday.

That’s exactly right. Bridget, delightful to see you. Always.

Pat: It’s a pleasure

Steve: to be here. Full disclosure, I am not going to discuss the property tax thing because we’ve beaten it like a dead horse. Mm-hmm. , and it’s not your department.

Jane: Yes. So well, it, you know, everything’s your department to a degree, but yes.

Okay. About

Steve: property taxes, if you, something you wanna say about it, but the, but the bottom line is the treasurer’s office. Is going to post the numbers in a couple of weeks. Yep. She is, Yeah. So online

Jane: Maria is on top of that part, but she can’t

Steve: do it by herself. It’s a good thing. And, and, um, uh, Tom break in, if Fritz Cay calls, uh, let me know if he calls and demands in getting on.

Pat: Yeah, well I know he is gonna be doing an

Steve: event with, uh, Axio Chicago coming up with our good friend Justin Kaufman. So

Pat: I’ll probably just doorstep ’em. Oh,

Steve: oh, fantastic. Okay. You know what, Send our crickets. Yeah, that’d be great. Um, Pat, let me begin with you, if you don’t mind. The Governor’s race. I saw a poll last night, or a story about a poll last night.

I don’t know where the poll eliminated. I didn’t have an interest. I was too tired to read. Um, it had said the race is getting tighter. Any truth to that?

Pat: Yeah, as Emerson poll’s, a WG poll follow up, it has, uh, Darren Bailey down nine or 10. Um, basically the rest of the Democratic slate up 7, 8, 9, or 10. That being said, I don’t believe any of these poll.

I’m not saying that that Darren Bailey is in the lead, but I think it’s more a four or five point race cuz he’s supposed to been wrong the last three cycles. I don’t think you think it’s went in five. I do. Just because, just anecdotally, first of all, he’s getting Darren Bailey’s getting creamed in the suburbs, which is horrible.

He needs to get above 58, 50 9% in the burbs and he’s getting killed there. But he’s get 20% in the city right now if you believe the poll, which is basically what Bruce Rounder did after spending millions in the city and after Darren. Called the City of Hell. Point is I think there’s a lot of, I think in the Democrats message.

There’s a disconnect between what they’re saying and reality. I think it’s five or six. Four. Five. Five or six.

Steve: Are you hearing anecdotally, Bri, again, or anything that would make you think the governor’s race has a contest?

Jane: I, you know, and I guess the, I hate, I think about it, whether it’s four or whether it’s nine, It doesn’t matter because I don’t see a path for Bailey to win.

So I, to be honest, I haven’t paid a ton of attention to what the actual number is. I do

Pat: agree, I agree with that. But it matters for the Jim Durkin races, the, uh, the down ticket races, it matters. The Republicans in it, Bailey loses by 11. It’s, it’s a blowout, but the bigger story, to me anyways, the national trends, the Democrats are getting creamed right now.

Uh, 75% of the people think the country’s on the wrong track. That’s, that’s the biggest, highest number I’ve ever seen.

Steve: Well, we’ll get to that because Bridget, I wanna ask you a question as a Democrat. Yes. We’ve got a lightning rod issue. Uh, that is out there in abortion. Yes. Everybody’s concerned about inflation.

Rightfully so. Crime is surprisingly low in poll after poll. In people’s concerns, it generally polls at less than 10% of their main concerns. Though people certainly are concerned about crime and they should be. Um, will Democrats turn out, uh, like we know the far right and the far left come out, are there gonna be enough Democrats to turn.

um, to, to do what you and other Democrats would like to see done.

Jane: Look, this, this is the, what, what did Will Rogers say? Like, I don’t belong to an organized party. I’m a Democrat. Yeah. This is always our dilemma, which is everyone’s really fueled up in June and July and, and there’s so, and then not only that, the states start passing all of this really crazy restrictive stuff, and so people get angry about it.

The question is, Has too much time elapsed and they’re like, Oh, nothing’s really gonna happen with that. We’ll probably be fine. Or I live in a state where it doesn’t really matter. Um, I hope that that’s not the case. Um, but I don’t think either inflation crime or abortion feel like they’re things that are still motivating people, at least on the democratic side to go out to the polls.

But, you know, hopefully

Steve: I’m wrong. So in the stories I’ve also seen nationally, early voting numbers are. Big, big early voting numbers, early voting tends to favor Democrats. Um, does that tell you anything? No,

Jane: I, I think that, that we’re seeing an evolution of early voting where people are actually getting into their head that like, Oh wait, I actually, this is just what I do and it’s normal.

Like, it’s not because I’m gonna be out of town or, there, there’s some other thing. It’s how they vote. This is just how they vote. And so they’re like, Oh, great, I got two weeks. I’m gonna get it out of the way and then that’s what I’m gonna do. Um, Yeah, I, I don’t know if it tells us the same thing as it might have told us 10

Pat: years ago, Pat turnout, um, huge interest record level interests Republicans and Democrats in this election nationally.

I’m not sure if that translates to turnout, particularly here in Illinois, but I think. There will be big turnout cuz there’s some really hotly contested governor’s races and senate races. Ly, big turnout here. I don’t know. 54, 50 5%. What was

Steve: in, in 2018? What was the turnout? Do you remember? Percentage wise?

Pat: Cause I don’t thought it was low. That was low fifties. Uh, yeah. And it was a big, uh, I walked in the sixth and the 14th Congressional districts for the candidates. It was scary. I didn’t even say Republican. They said, I hate Trump. I’m voting against these. It was, it was, it was

Steve: bad. Uh, Brady Bridge, Gainer are here.

We’re talking politics, obviously. The election’s a week from Tuesday, June, uh, we were talking about voter turnout. We say, uh, I can’t ever make a difference. I can’t, nothing. If even if I vote, it’s not gonna change. Regardless of whoever wins. What party wins. Will we see changes? Is it gonna make

Jane: a difference?

Well, I, I, look, I, I think if you see things happen nationally, one of the thing. You could, whatever you like or don’t like about Joe Biden. I happen to like him very much, mostly cuz sometimes when he talks it feels like my dad is communicating to us from the grave. Mm-hmm. , his, his vernacular and everything about him.

Mm-hmm. . But he’s probably got more accomplished in his two years since Johnson and he is done that because he has the ability to get things through Congress and he’s been incredibly skillful at it. And I don’t think, while people knock him for why don’t he, why doesn’t he communicate better? I think half of.

I think there’s an upside to that. He just keeps moving and gets things done. He has accomplished an enormous amount. Now that will obviously change a lot if there is Republicans hold one one house because he won’t be able to get as many things done. Now, having said that, he’s gotten most of the big things probably done that he would like.

I’ll be really curious to see what happens with Ukraine. I would really hope that the Republicans would, would not stop helping Ukraine. Well, we’ll see. I mean, nothing’s gonna change in Illinois, I think, because we’re gonna maintain a Democratic majority in statewide offices. Pat, what do you think?

Steve: Yeah, Dirken was on Same question.

Bridge. It’s hosting the show now. Look at you .

Pat: Uh, Dirk. I did that

Steve: once. Carol, Maureen. And she almost hit me. Yeah. Well, I can’t, I can’t reach either one of you from here. Uh, Dirken was on the show. Jim Derkin was on the show yesterday and I talked to him about, you know, gaining seats and things and he alluded to turnout and you gotta show up if you want change.

What would be a good Republican day in Springfield on election day? Like what’s the number you’re looking at for Durkin? Well, for the party,

Pat: for Republican. Well, you gotta break it down to the house seats. I know four or five, maybe two or three in the Senate. I think that the Democrats have basically conceded they’re gonna lose two in the Senate.

Pick up one of the constitutional offices. Probably my cousin would be the best. And have Darren Bailey stay within four or five so you don’t get wiped out everywhere else. I mean the numbers nationally, uh, are similar to what I saw in 2010 when nationally we pick, The Republicans picked up 63 house seats, which spilled down to Illinois.

We used to joke, I used to joke, we won five of our targeted four congressional races. I mean, Scott Gridders has tightened it up in 14. These congressional races that I never thought we’d have a shot at are tight right now. And that’s, that’s the national wave. And there is, I think, nationally a disconnect from the Democrats message, even with the successes.

On what the country really wants or not have not focused on inflation and crime, which is, I talk to people like Bridge does all the time that are out walking. Those are the issues. The um, and I would’ve probably done the same thing, but the abortion thing’s been mis misplayed. It’s not top of mind. Yeah.

It was

Steve: communication side of it’s been fairly, Yeah. You know

Pat: what? When you hear these say that, I don’t mean this, I’m not aim this bridge, people start saying that Don’t wanna shut. They’re talking about, they always say that re Republicans say that to, Oh, we’re not communicating. Well now you’re getting creamed on the issues because abortion’s not the issue everybody

Steve: thinks about.

Well, but the communication side is bad. It is bad. And that, you know, people are all about communicating, uh, as long as you’re communicating what they want to hear. Uh, they’re on Big John, How, But not that big anymore. You’re listening to the Steve Cochran Show, and I hope at some point Steve does fess up to breaking the chair here in Studio One at Double dls, the big 89.

It’s a lying chair, breaking John Hall, a promo to blame you. Amazing. It’s fantastic. Michael, the magician, he is 7 54. Bridget Gainer is here from the Cook County Board. Pat Brady’s here. Former, uh, well head of the Republican Party in Illinois. Uh, still works in Springfield consistently and heavily cuz he somehow kept an ID and, uh, it’s great to have them both here because we have them in, We were just talking about this off the air.

Nobody’s screaming at each other. No, I don’t do that kind of show. Mm. You can agree to disagree on things, but you talk and you talk it out. You mentioned your cousin. Your cousin is Dan Brady. Dan Brady is running for Secretary of State against Alexi Janes. It should be a slam dunk. I like what Dan Brady said from the moment he came on the air the first time because he only talked about the job that he was trying to get.

How is that Dan Brady campaign going? Does he have a

Pat: shot? Yeah, he’s a shot. I think Dan’s uh, strongest point is he’s been a public servant. For his entire 40 year career. And people know that, and he’s well known throughout the state and people like him on both sides of the aisle. I talk to Democrats in the burbs and everywhere.

They’re like, Yeah, I’m, I’m with Dan. The, the issue he’s had is had trouble raising money and Alex’s got a lot of money having been an insider for a long time. So he is, he’s up on the air. But I would not be surprised of election. I’m not saying this just cause he’s my cousin. Might be the upset that we’ve been looking for.

I just, Alex and I like Alex personally, but he, Why’s he running? He, he’s running cuz he wants to be Governor Bridget. Is that true?

Jane: Uh, I mean, look, he wants to be Secretary of State right now, so he is running for Secretary of State right now. Who, who knows? He’s a talented guy. He’s incredibly, uh, he’s an incredible communicator.

He’s been all over the state and, you know, I, first of all, I’ve known Dan for years and I like him too. We, we have two good candidates in a race. So I think that best He’s a Brady, so he is charming. So obviously,

Pat: and good looking. One of the Brady had

Jane: to be true, honestly. There we go. Good thing he’s not here.

We wouldn’t be even able to focus on you. Yeah.

Steve: Wow. Wow. I felt Bridget. Now we’re gonna

Pat: find That doesn’t mean me.

Jane: Was that in the middle? Is

Pat: that

Jane: not moderate anymore?

Steve: Wow. No, that was good. Those ice crystals on

Pat: Pats had got their furation and I’m not even married to you. Wow.

Steve: I know. List of that. Wow. Very impressive. Uh, the other state offices, any question on who is going to end up winning?

Is it a Democrat sweep?

Jane: I actually think it’s gonna be a Democratic sweep, Pat, I really do.

Pat: It’s Republicans have an uphill climb. It’s been a, it’s been a rough year and maybe they can catch the national wave, but, What happened again briefly, Mike Zoro, which these consultants that came in and, and screwed this up and got, uh, put the Richard Irv, who’s a good guy, but got third place.

All the money’s gone. You can’t win without money. And, and the, to the Democrats, to their credit, they have JB Pritzker funding. A lot of this unions funded. Republicans gotta get back to start raising

Steve: money. Uh, speaking of McCain campaign financial reform, in our lifetime,

Jane: No, no, I, I, I think it’s an issue that people can barely focus on,

Steve: and it’s just not top of mind, but it is truly a mess if somebody can create a huge problem election after election, if

Pat: somebody could really explain the consultant world and how truly horrible this is.

Yeah, it’s horrible. It’s, it’s horrible. Look, Jane

Jane: Mayer wrote a book called Dark Money and I read it and it was one of those books that. So sad. Wow. Like I felt like I was under a heavy blanket. Right. And because it goes through,

Pat: it goes through. No, that’s why you didn’t read

Jane: it. . It isn’t even just, it isn’t even just the political part, it’s the funding of chairs at universities, the constant funding of publications, the of these fake grassroots organizations.

What I see people doing at. In these school board elections. It it’s nuts. It’ss, outrageous that, that stuff, ever since Citizens United it’s been, you know, this whole idea of an independent expenditure was such a joke. Um, well the, the biggest joke we never get anywhere. Those are unw.

Pat: Right? They’re not supposed to coordinate.

Right. But they’re not independent. We’re a complete joke. Yep.

Steve: Right. We don’t have a lot of time. Jane, get in here and then I wanna know, one last thing. You will guys want voters. I, Well, so off the year I said I want to talk local and I love to talk about state of Illinois, but let’s get even more local here in City of Chicago.

Mayoral race. Another candidate jumped in the race today. Yeah, I know. It’s gonna heat up after the election. How many weigh up to now? 409 .

Jane: I think that until everyone gets in. So Brandon Johnson got in, I’m on the county board with him. He is, he’s another guy. He an incredible communicator, Great Coalescer.

He’s been an organizer his whole life. I, I really think that he’ll, um, you know, he’ll connect with a lot of people, especially on the, on the left, Tom, Tony is also talking about getting in. You know, you, you don’t know until the people actually declare and then the field shakes out. I think Tony will be incredibly formidable though

Steve: when he, he gets in and, and there will be a.

Pat: There. I agree. I’m voting for Bridget . Yeah. I don’t even live in her district, but I’m

Steve: voting for Pat Brady. What do you want people to know before election day?

Pat: Just get out and vote. It’s a big important election and just get out and vote. You gotta, you gotta, That’s the whole thing. People don’t participate then don’t complain.

Jane: Well, there also, there’s two weeks to vote. I, I should say early voting’s already open anywhere. You’re not that far from an early voting spot. You just have to go on the internet and you know,

Pat: early voting is, well, really the. Most accessible voting states in the, in the country.

Steve: Gotta be right

Jane: near. I thought you were trying to make it correct.

Like, are we the easiest political state? And I was gonna say, well, back up.

Steve: It depends on the . It depends on the election. I think we broke up the election in the office. You might have one. It’s gonna be a long walk to the elevator. Uh, Bridget, what do you want people to know? Cuz Pat took the answer of, uh, you gotta vote.

Jane: Uh, no. I, I think that it’s, there’s a lot of big things coming in. If it isn’t, you think about your kids because whether it’s a climate or abortion or any of these things, just, you know, it’s a one time someone’s asking you your opinion and actually wants it. Yeah. You’ve

Pat: got the highest unemployment rate in the country.

And the greatest city in the country, we, This has gotta change. There’s no reason for this. We need a different

Steve: approach. And it’s this, I mean, good. Just think of Google. If you don’t understand the internet as the biggest library on the planet. Yeah. And you can ask it any question you want and you can in five minutes, get all the information you need.

You can take your paper ballot that you can print on your printer, you remember printers, You can print it and take it in with you when you. You can be fully prepared. No excuses. It’s a week from Tuesday unless you do it before. Where will you guys be

Pat: on election? I’ll be on another TV station. , what channel are you on?

I’m channel two with Joe and my buddy. Right, and what?

Jane: I’ll just be out and about in the neighborhood pulling stations up north.

Steve: Okay. So Bridget will be wandering around. Pat will be a channel too. . So if you have a question, you find Bridget? Yes. Pat will be busy. Uh, bridge, G.

Pat: Great to see you. Great to see you.

Thanks for coming to

Steve: be here. Pat. Pat, reasonably decent to see you and thanks for being

Pat: Oh, it was so good to see you. I really like Jane. Thank you. See ya. Yeah.

Steve: Well we’re, Pat and I are back to breaking up again too. It’s a rough morning.