GrayStak Media

The Surprise Candidate in Illinois’ 9th: Inside Kat Abughazaleh’s Unconventional Campaig

National attention around the race for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District has begun to grow.

Mar 11 • Christopher Sweat

26:41

Executive Signaling and the Escalation Ladder

Markets may be misreading the current U.S.–Iran escalation because the signaling structure of conflict itself has changed.

Mar 4 • Christopher Sweat

5

2

Karina Villa on Redefining the Illinois Comptroller’s Office

In a 39-minute conversation, the state senator discusses fiscal oversight, progressive governance, and using the Comptroller’s platform as a public…

Mar 1 • Christopher Sweat

1

39:03

February 2026

Kevin Ryan for U.S. Senate — Testing a Reform Agenda

Filmed aboard his campaign bus, we examine money in politics, grassroots mobilization, and the realities of governing.

Feb 17 • Christopher Sweat

2

38:58

The Electoral Strategy Behind Anabel Mendoza’s Congressional Campaign

In our latest GrayStak interview, congressional candidate Anabel Mendoza outlines the electoral strategy driving her campaign in Illinois’ 7th District.

Feb 8 • Christopher Sweat

2

27:36

January 2026

What Representation Looks Like in Illinois Right Now - A Conversation with Nick Uniejewski

State politics are often treated as background noise — procedural, incremental, easy to ignore unless something breaks.

Jan 30 • Christopher Sweat

3

30:20

Ald. Jessie Fuentes and the Mechanics of Municipal Power

On governance, legitimacy, and what it means to exercise authority inside the institutions that shape everyday life.

Jan 21 • Christopher Sweat

2

46:24

December 2025

Domestic Civil Unrest as a Systems Interaction

Uncertainty, Mobilization, and Escalation in the United States

Dec 29, 2025 • Christopher Sweat

2

1

Interview: Christopher Sweat sits down with Dylan Blaha & Demi Palecek

Dylan and Demi are political candidates who have been outspoken in public interviews and appearances about their understanding of executive power…

Dec 28, 2025 • Christopher Sweat

4

2

43:48

Political Risk at the Wrong Scale

Political risk analysis increasingly fails not because it lacks data, but because it operates at the wrong scale.

Dec 28, 2025 • Christopher Sweat

2

1

When Political Visibility Becomes a Risk Factor for Public Capital

Why recent changes to Israeli bond holdings by U.S. pension funds reflect institutional process rather than political alignment.

Dec 19, 2025 • Christopher Sweat

5

2

Interview: Christopher Sweat sits down with Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez of Chicago's 25th Ward

Interview conducted at Chicago City Hall | Reporting from Little Village

Dec 18, 2025 • Christopher Sweat

1:05:11