Who sent ya?

Political strategist Frank Calabrese explains the forces reshaping Illinois politics: the strength of political organizations, the limits of big-money spending, the changing progressive movement, and why disciplined campaigns still matter in Chicago and beyond.

One of the last of a dying breed, “blue-dog” Democrat, former IL Congressman Daniel Lipinski joins our Who Sent Ya? podcast to issue a warning as the Democratic Party steers hard left toward Socialist territory. Tune in. 

For the first time, Chicago voters will elect all 21 members of the Chicago Board of Education. But the fight over who controls the city’s schools has been decades in the making.Juan Rangel and Bobby Sylvester trace the path from local school councils and mayoral control to the rise of the Chicago Teachers Union as a political force. They break down why the elected school board was created, how CTU’s influence changed the balance of power, and why the November 2026 election could determine the direction of Chicago Public Schools for years to come.

Ald. Silvana Tabares joins Who Sent Ya? for a candid conversation about the political battle lines taking shape across Chicago: more police or fewer, bigger government or smarter spending, ideology or basic services. From growing pushback against Mayor Brandon Johnson to fights over public safety, CPU, city spending and taxes, the conversation gets at a bigger question facing Chicago: what kind of city government do voters want next?

For the first time in Chicago history, voters will elect an entire school board to guide and direct the future of its students. In the next podcast episode of “Who sent ya? Chicago, Politics and more, learn how the obscure elected school board position has become the springboard to power in Chicago.

Chicago is a sports town that plays hard to win. That includes its politics, known as a “blood sport,” where interests jostle for power. Tune in to our next podcast episode of “Who Sent ya? Chicago, Politics and more”, The Rise of the Extremists, Part 2, as we breakdown the power of Chicago’s new political machine led by the Chicago Teachers Union. 

With the demise of Chicago’s historic Democratic political machine, how did we end up with its powerful successor, a Socialist syndicate led by, of all interest groups, the Chicago Teachers Union. Tune in to our next podcast episode of “Who Sent ya? Chicago, Politics and more”, The Rise of the Extremists, Part 1.

In Chicago's politics, the old adage still fits — 'We don't want nobody, that nobody sent!' Who Sent Ya? is a podcast from The Urban Center bringing you the political insider perspective straight from the people shaping Chicago. Understand the why and the how we got here. Subscribe and tune in to weekly episodes. Who Sent Ya? Chicago, politics and more.