Political analyst and author Ryan Wiggins joins the show live from a polling location in the Metro East to break down Election Day dynamics across southwestern Illinois and nationally. Wiggins reports steady in-person voting in Madison County and analyzes heavy downstate campaign spending by Illinois Democrats aiming to flip conservative legislative districts, including state races backed by figures like Erica Harriss. The discussion highlights a non-binding advisory referendum placed on the Madison County ballot recommending the Illinois General Assembly implement mandatory voter photo identification laws, sparking debate over signature verification standards and voter roll integrity. Shifting to the national landscape, Wiggins recaps his midterm predictions—forecasting that Republicans will hold the U.S. Senate despite potential House losses—and evaluates key Senate races in Texas (Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico) and Michigan (Mike Rogers vs. Abdul El-Sayed). The segment concludes with a spotlight on Wiggins' new horror novel, The Swine Things, based on early 20th-century weird fiction author William Hope Hodgson.
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