Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Dwayne Kennedy are joined by Colin Allred, former congressman who is currently running for U.S. Senate in Texas against Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton.

Allred discussed the Republicans' congressional redistricting plan that passed the Texas legislature last week, which he criticized as an attempt to suppress Black and brown voices. He highlighted the five packed town hall meetings he recently did in 10 days across the state of Texas, where he observed a rise in public engagement and concern. 

"There's a lot of fear out there," Allred told WCPT, "but there's also, I think, a lot of bravery and hope. And I saw it kind of in mixed portions, where people would come up and tell me how worried they were and how afraid they were for their kids, but they were there at a public town hall to express how they felt, and they're standing up in front of hundreds of their neighbors and talking about their concerns. And so it was really inspiring to me. And I especially loved some of the young people who came, some of the kids who were asking questions. To me that's who we are. Our democracy is one that's based on giving a voice to everyone, and they may be trying to rig these elections, but we're not going to let them, and we're not going to let them rig the economy against working people. And we just have to fight. This is one of the times where we all have to decide where you stand, because in 20 or 30 years our kids and our grandkids are going to ask us about this time. The only answer we can give that I think will be acceptable is that we did everything we could, and that's what I'm trying to do."

Allred emphasized the need to end gerrymandering, reform the filibuster and ban members of Congress from trading stocks. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Dwayne Kennedy are joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://colinallred.com/">Colin&nbsp;Allred</a>, former congressman who is currently running for U.S. Senate in Texas against Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton.
Allred discussed the Republicans' congressional redistricting plan that passed the Texas legislature last week, which he criticized as an attempt to suppress Black and brown voices. He highlighted the five packed town hall meetings he recently did in 10 days across the state of Texas, where he observed a rise in public engagement and concern.&nbsp;
"There's a lot of fear out there," Allred told WCPT, "but there's also, I think, a lot of bravery and hope. And I saw it kind of in mixed portions, where people would come up and tell me how worried they were and how afraid they were for their kids, but they were there at a public town hall to express how they felt, and they're standing up in front of hundreds of their neighbors and talking about their concerns. And so it was really inspiring to me. And I especially loved some of the young people who came, some of the kids who were asking questions. To me that's who we are. Our democracy is one that's based on giving a voice to everyone, and they may be trying to rig these elections, but we're not going to let them, and we're not going to let them rig the economy against working people. And we just have to fight. This is one of the times where we all have to decide where you stand, because in 20 or 30 years our kids and our grandkids are going to ask us about this time. The only answer we can give that I think will be acceptable is that we did everything we could, and that's what I'm trying to do."
Allred emphasized the need to end gerrymandering, reform the filibuster and ban members of Congress from trading stocks.&nbsp;
Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).
And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5k1YzewRMAa8KsNekQbCkn">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/driving-it-home-full-episodes/id1772728749">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Driving-It-Home-(Full-Episodes)-p4553842/?topicId=433648635">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-driving-it-home-full-epis-224679504/">iHeartRadio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLquOHBYhhrLNMRm0gNe5wbwcIuJM4upVS">YouTube</a>, and <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d8860c92-da64-4745-a369-6c28aacfbd32/driving-it-home-full-episodes">Amazon</a>.

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" (weeknights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.), a radio talk show devoted to covering the news of the day and connecting listeners with local leaders. 

Patti Vasquez is a Chicago comedian, writer, actor, talk show host, consultant, advocate, and policy adviser. After achieving a degree in history from the University of Illinois, she set out to share her hilarious observations about how people behave, and stories about her second-generation Irish dad and Mexican immigrant mom. Patti has headlined in comedy clubs and colleges all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, appeared on Nickelodeon, TBS, ABC, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and has a recurring role on NBC’s “Chicago Fire.” When her son Declan was born with a rare neurological disorder, Patti decided to take her communication and performance experience to launch her company “With Kind Words,” in which she helps medical professionals and educators communicate with compassion. For six years, Patti was the first Latina to host her own talk show on WGN Radio 720. In addition to her work as a performer and consultant, Patti began advocating for children and families throughout Illinois and helped restore funding for vital support services after massive cuts were made by former Governor Bruce Rauner. In 2020 she ran to be the state representative of the 19th District.  She is now the health care and human services liaison and assistant policy adviser for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.  Patti lives with her family on the Northwest Side of Chicago and continues to advocate for her community.  

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" (weeknights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.), a radio talk show devoted to covering the news of the day and connecting listeners with local leaders.&nbsp;
Patti Vasquez is a Chicago comedian, writer, actor, talk show host, consultant, advocate, and policy adviser. After achieving a degree in history from the University of Illinois, she set out to share her hilarious observations about how people behave, and stories about her second-generation Irish dad and Mexican immigrant mom. Patti has headlined in comedy clubs and colleges all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, appeared on Nickelodeon, TBS, ABC, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and has a recurring role on NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Chicago Fire.&rdquo; When her son Declan was born with a rare neurological disorder, Patti decided to take her communication and performance experience to launch her company &ldquo;With Kind Words,&rdquo; in which she helps medical professionals and educators communicate with compassion. For six years, Patti was the first Latina to host her own talk show on WGN Radio 720. In addition to her work as a performer and consultant, Patti began advocating for children and families throughout Illinois and helped restore funding for vital support services after massive cuts were made by former Governor Bruce Rauner. In 2020 she ran to be the state representative of the 19th District.&nbsp; She is now the health care and human services liaison and assistant policy adviser for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.&nbsp; Patti lives with her family on the Northwest Side of Chicago and continues to advocate for her community.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez (Full Episodes)

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" (weeknights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central) is a radio talk show devoted to covering the news of the day and connecting listeners with local leaders. 

Patti Vasquez is a Chicago comedian, writer, actor, talk show host, consultant, advocate, and policy adviser. After achieving a degree in history from the University of Illinois, she set out to share her hilarious observations about how people behave, and stories about her second-generation Irish dad and Mexican immigrant mom. Patti has headlined in comedy clubs and colleges all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, appeared on Nickelodeon, TBS, ABC, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and has a recurring role on NBC’s “Chicago Fire.” When her son Declan was born with a rare neurological disorder, Patti decided to take her communication and performance experience to launch her company “With Kind Words,” in which she helps medical professionals and educators communicate with compassion.

For six years, Patti was the first Latina to host her own talk show on WGN Radio 720. In addition to her work as a performer and consultant, Patti began advocating for children and families throughout Illinois and helped restore funding for vital support services after massive cuts were made by former Governor Bruce Rauner. In 2020 she ran to be the state representative of the 19th District.  She is now the health care and human services liaison and assistant policy adviser for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.  Patti lives with her family on the Northwest Side of Chicago and continues to advocate for her community.  

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" (weeknights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central) is a radio talk show devoted to covering the news of the day and connecting listeners with local leaders.&nbsp;
Patti Vasquez is a Chicago comedian, writer, actor, talk show host, consultant, advocate, and policy adviser. After achieving a degree in history from the University of Illinois, she set out to share her hilarious observations about how people behave, and stories about her second-generation Irish dad and Mexican immigrant mom. Patti has headlined in comedy clubs and colleges all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, appeared on Nickelodeon, TBS, ABC, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and has a recurring role on NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Chicago Fire.&rdquo; When her son Declan was born with a rare neurological disorder, Patti decided to take her communication and performance experience to launch her company &ldquo;With Kind Words,&rdquo; in which she helps medical professionals and educators communicate with compassion.
For six years, Patti was the first Latina to host her own talk show on WGN Radio 720. In addition to her work as a performer and consultant, Patti began advocating for children and families throughout Illinois and helped restore funding for vital support services after massive cuts were made by former Governor Bruce Rauner. In 2020 she ran to be the state representative of the 19th District.&nbsp; She is now the health care and human services liaison and assistant policy adviser for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.&nbsp; Patti lives with her family on the Northwest Side of Chicago and continues to advocate for her community.&nbsp;&nbsp;