Aaron Del Mar, entrepreneur, GOP operator, and guest on the Lake Forest Podcast, said Democrats are "playing musical chairs," creating a "chain reaction" of open seats, and while 2026 may bring a "pendulum swing," he believes the economy and Trump’s efforts could resist a "blue wave."
“The Democrats are playing musical chairs, right?" said Del Mar on the Lake Forest podcast. “Durbin set off a chain reaction of Juliana Stratton going over from lieutenant governor to running for Senate, which triggered Roger to run for Senate, which left it open. Then you had several other congressmen jumping into those races, leaving open seats all over the state, which then triggered other commissioners, board members, and state representatives to jump for those seats, and their seats are open. The Democrats have really given us a target-rich environment to possibly pick up a couple of seats.”
“The political winds are challenging in 2026," said Del Mar. “As you know, every cycle, when one party has control of all three levels of government, like we do in the White House, Congress, and Senate, there’s kind of a pendulum swing back. With that, though, I think that with the economy and with some of the things that President Trump is doing, we look solid to be able to put up a pretty strong wall against that so-called blue wave.”
This full episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The latest episode of the Lake Forest Podcast, featuring Pete Jansons, Joe Weiss, and Jeff Urso, includes guest Aaron Del Mar, an entrepreneur, former UFC fighter, and Republican political figure. Del Mar discusses the possibility of running for Illinois governor, GOP election challenges, Gen Z political involvement, and high-cost campaign consultants. His background includes serving as Cook County GOP Chairman, Palatine Township GOP Committeeman and Highway Commissioner, 2016 Trump RNC delegate, 2022 lieutenant governor candidate with Gary Rabine, appointee to the Illinois International Port Authority under Gov. Bruce Rauner, president of the Inverness Fire Protection District, and owner of U.S. Arcade Rentals.
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.
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