Ted Dabrowski, Wirepoints co-founder & Republican candidate for governor 2026, said his father’s experiences—joining the merchant marines, seeking asylum in Sweden, and his strong commitment to freedom—shaped his understanding of government overreach and influenced his view on current issues in America.
On the Lake Forest Podcast, Dabrowski discussed his father’s patriotism with hosts Pete Jansons and Joe Weiss.
“So he was this tough guy, 14 years old, drinking and smoking, and eventually he joined the merchant marines in Poland,” said Dabrowski on the Lake Forest podcast. “They had a big training ship called the Da Promotion, and on one of those trips, he was in Malmo, Sweden, and he said, This is it. I’m going to risk it. He jumped ship, went to the Swedish authorities, and asked for asylum. They put him in a kind of jail cell for a while while they reviewed it, and they gave him his freedom.”
“When he finally makes it to America, I’m living under this man, just trying to understand why he was so intense about America and freedom,” said Dabrowski. “He hated anything that infringed on his rights. I just thought he was way too hardcore. But then I didn’t understand the slippery slope, how this government becomes more and more oppressive every time, taking more of your freedoms. Anyway, this is the man who shaped me a lot, and it helps me understand what an ugly path we’re on right now in America, and the socialism and the people trying to take us that way.”
This full episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The Lake Forest podcast is hosted by Pete Jansons, an entrepreneur with a background in neuroscience; Rick Lesser, an attorney and former village trustee; and Joe Weiss, who has experience in multiple government and public service positions. The podcast covers topics and politics impacting the area around the city of Lake Forest, according to the Lake Forest podcast website.
