Selected Media Appearances
Frank Calabrese is a Chicago based political consultant and GIS mapping expert whose data-driven analysis of elections, redistricting, and political campaigns finance has been featured across major local and national media outlets.
Television Appearances
WGN TV “The Point” (April 27, 2026) – Political analyst on early polling for the 2027 mayoral race.
FOX 32 Chicago “Chicago Report” (March 13, 2026) – Election preview discussion with Paris Schutz, Pat Brady, and Rick Pearson.
ABC7 Chicago News (March 6, 2026) – Analyzed Super PAC spending and outside money in Illinois congressional primaries, including AIPAC’s significant investments.
WGN TV "The Point" (February 2, 2026) "Fundraising battle heats up in Illinois Democratic primaries" – Political analyst on the Democratic U.S. Senate primary race and the role of money in campaigns.
WGN TV Evening News (November 6, 2024) – Research and public policy analyst commenting on Chicago school board election results and voter sentiment.
WGN TV Evening News (April 5, 2023) “Breaking Down Chicago’s Runoff Election” – Featured as Research and Public Policy Analyst. Comprehensive breakdown of Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s victory, including ward-by-ward voting patterns and broader implications for the city.
WGN TV Evening News (March 2, 2023) “Chicago Election Breakdown” – On-air elections analysis identifying early trends in aldermanic races and projecting outcomes for subsequent runoffs.
FOX 32 Chicago (March 1, 2023) – “Chicago election results: Map shows breakdown of votes for mayor by neighborhood” – Credited with precinct-level map using Chicago Board of Elections data to show how Chicago voted for mayor.
ABC7 Chicago (February 25, 2023) "Chicago mayoral election 2023: Latino communities push to get out the vote as turnout lags behind" – Mapped early voter turnout for the Chicago mayoral election. Noted that while turnout lagged in many Latino and Black wards, approximately one-third of the projected vote was already in, with particularly strong participation in the 19th Ward (Beverly and Mount Greenwood) and on the northwest side near O’Hare Airport.
ABC7 Chicago (October 30, 2021) “Incumbent Dem. Reps. Casten, Newman to face off after Illinois congressional district map redrawn” – Provided district-composition analysis showing how the redrawn 6th Congressional District affected the Casten-Newman matchup
WTTW / PBS Chicago News (October 12, 2021) "Congressional Remap Underway, But Little Participation at Public Hearings." – Maps and redistricting consultant offering expert recommendations during Illinois congressional redistricting hearings on creating additional Latino-majority districts.
WCIA 3 - CBS Central Illinois Affiliate "Capitol Connection" (September 9, 2021) "Illinois Democrats drew maps to favor partisan leverage over majority-Latino districts, analyst says" – Provided an in-depth, precinct-level breakdown of the Illinois General Assembly’s redistricting process, addressing the displacement of Latino voters in Chicago and the strategic gerrymandering efforts by the Democratic supermajority.
WQAD 8 - ABC Quad Cities Affiliate (September 2, 2021) "New Illinois legislative maps face criticism" – Interviewed as a maps expert and political consultant regarding the state legislative redistricting process. Provided analysis on how the newly drawn House and Senate district maps aimed to consolidate Democratic power and protect African-American representation in Chicago amid population losses.
WTTW / PBS Chicago News (September 1, 2021) “Illinois Democrats Advance New Legislative Districts With Little Public Review.” — Explained the technical equal-population standard behind the revised map and why the new districts were numerically closer to the target population.
National Media
CBS News (March 17, 2026) "Illinois Senate primary race is test of Pritzker's sway, Democrats' views of ICE, outside spending" — Quoted on how Juliana Stratton’s performance in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary would reflect on Gov. JB Pritzker’s political influence and possible 2028 ambitions.
The Guardian (March 16, 2026) "Aipac: toxicity of pro-Israel Super Pac’s money to be tested in US primaries." — Analyzed the impact of AIPAC-backed Super PAC attack ads in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District primary.
The 19th News (March 13, 2026) "In Illinois, a primary could mean a new record number of Black women in the Senate." — Provided strategic insight on the competitive Illinois U.S. Senate primary between Juliana Stratton and Robin Kelly.
POLITICO (February 25, 2026) "AIPAC’s cash complicates crowded Illinois primaries" — Discussed the strategic dynamics of the crowded 9th Congressional District Democratic primary, noting that AIPAC-backed attack ads labeling Daniel Biss a "phony or fake progressive" carried the risk of backfiring and shifting progressive and anti-AIPAC voters toward challenger Kat Abughazaleh.
Jewish Insider (February 22, 2026) "Daniel Biss facing negative ad blitz from outside group with reported ties to AIPAC" — Analyzed the strategic risk that AIPAC-linked negative ads against Daniel Biss in the Illinois 9th Congressional District primary could backfire by driving progressive voters toward far-left challenger Kat Abughazaleh.
Jewish Insider (February 3, 2026) "Pro-Israel moderates hold momentum in several Chicago-area House races." — Quoted on pro-Israel candidates and momentum in several Chicago-area U.S. House Democratic primaries.
Jewish Insider (October 1, 2025) “Wave of anti-Israel candidates hits Chicago’s Democratic congressional primaries” — Quoted extensively on the open 2026 Chicago-area congressional primaries, including the 2nd and 7th Districts.
Jewish Insider (May 20, 2025) "Illinois Senate primary likely a toss-up, experts say, after new polling" — Assessed frontrunners and overall dynamics in the Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate primary, identifying Juliana Stratton and Raja Krishnamoorthi as likely top contenders.
Jewish Insider (January 17, 2024) "Rep. Danny Davis faces fractured primary field" — Extensively quoted providing demographic analysis for the 7th Congressional District primary. Outlined how Rep. Danny Davis's universal name recognition anchored the West Side, and mapped how challengers would fracture the vote downtown and in more affluent, non-Black precincts.
The American Prospect (April 3, 2023) “Chicago’s Latino Community Is Up for Grabs" — Provided political and demographic analysis of Latino voting patterns in the 2023 Chicago mayoral runoff and how Southwest Side Latino voters could shape the contest.
The Christian Science Monitor (March 31, 2023) “Democrats split over education in Chicago mayoral runoff” — Quoted as an independent Chicago political analyst on the political stakes of the 2023 mayoral runoff, especially the power struggle over public education.
POLITICO (March 7, 2023) "Nearly half of Chicago voters tapped a loser. Now they can sway the mayor’s race." — Extensive quotes on racial voting patterns, ward coalitions, and Latino voter dynamics in the Chicago mayoral runoff. “Race is one of the most definitive predictors in how an area votes in Chicago.”
The Wall Street Journal (February 10, 2023) “Is It Too Late to Save Chicago From Progressive Misrule?” – Provided campaign-finance figures comparing advertising expenditures by Brandon Johnson, Lori Lightfoot, Jesús “Chuy” García, and other candidates in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election.
The American Prospect (February 10, 2023) "How Crypto Cash Could Determine Chicago's Next Mayor" — Analyzed the impact of negative campaign spending during the 2023 mayoral race and provided insight into the shifting preferences of Latino voters in several city wards.
The Wall Street Journal (February 16, 2022) “As Black Exodus Continues in Chicago, Latino Caucus Seeks Stronger Voice” — Featured in coverage of Chicago’s ward remap fight and the growing political influence of Latino voters after the 2020 Census.
Local & Regional Coverage
The Daily Northwestern (April 1, 2026) "Amiwala, Huynh committed to exiting IL-09 primary, records show" — Provided commentary on the progressive voter base in Chicago and candidate viability within the 9th Congressional District primary.
The Daily Northwestern (March 17, 2026) "The Open Seat: What journalists and analysts are watching across the 9th District on primary Election Day." — Broke down the geographic battle for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District and identified key bellwether areas.
Block Club Chicago (March 17, 2026) "As Chuy García Retires, Independents See Opportunity For New Era Of Latino Leadership" — Analyzed the open congressional seat dynamics following Chuy García’s retirement, assessing Democratic nominee Patty García’s strong position and the challenges independent candidates would face in splitting the vote.
Axios Chicago (March 4, 2026) "AIPAC, crypto and AI spend big in Illinois house races" — Credited with compiling and crunching Federal Election Commission data on independent expenditures, revealing that super PACs aligned with AIPAC, cryptocurrency interests, and artificial intelligence advocates had poured more than $18 million into four contested Illinois congressional primaries in a single month.
POLITICO Illinois Playbook (March 2, 2026) "How war could reshape the primaries" — Compiled and presented detailed Federal Election Commission data and analysis showing the scale of super PAC spending (including AIPAC-aligned groups) across key Illinois congressional primaries.
The Daily Northwestern (February 6, 2026) "New super PAC, reportedly tied to AIPAC, spent more than $570K to boost Fine, filings show." — Spoke on the democratic implications of dark money and unbalanced campaign spending by AIPAC-aligned Super PACs. “It’s not great for transparency or democracy, per se, that we’re dealing with this entity that is likely going to spend more money than all these candidates combined.”
Crain’s Chicago Business (February 17, 2026) "Greg Hinz: Huge super-PAC money taking control of Chicago congressional races." — Credited by veteran political reporter Greg Hinz for compiling and analyzing Federal Election Commission data on Super PAC expenditures in Illinois congressional races.
Injustice Watch (March 12, 2024) "In a hyper-local judicial race, questions about what counts as community representation" – Analyzed the changing demographics and gentrification of the 6th and 14th judicial subcircuits and how they shifted the original 1991 racial and ethnic majorities of the districts.
The Daily Line (May 11, 2023) "Chicago residents blast proposed school board maps for leaving out Hispanic community" — Interviewed as a mapping and political consultant regarding the drafting of Chicago's first elected school board maps. Explained the geographic difficulty of creating Latino-majority districts due to integration patterns compared to more highly segregated demographic areas.
Chicago Sun-Times (April 4, 2023) “Chicago Runoff Election 2023: Brandon Johnson wins mayor’s race” – Provided real-time election-day analysis of ward turnout, voter age, Paul Vallas’ strength among in-person voters, and Brandon Johnson’s expected advantage among outstanding mail ballots.
Block Club Chicago (April 4, 2023) "Chicago Mayor’s Race Would Come Down To A Coin Flip If Johnson, Vallas Tie" — Analyzed the dynamics of the Chicago mayoral runoff between Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas. Observed that in the event of a dead heat, the race would likely favor Johnson because of his stronger performance with mail-in voters in the February 28 election.
Illinois Times (October 6, 2022) “Sandy Hamilton and Doris Turner turn to attack ads” – Explained how redistricting added urban voters to Illinois’ 48th Senate District to improve Democratic prospects and assessed the Doris Turner-Sandy Hamilton race as a toss-up.
Chicago Tribune (August 3, 2022) "Aurora hears comments on proposed redistricting maps for city’s wards" — Discussed census-driven population adjustments across Aurora's wards and the importance of preserving Latino representation in the final map.
State Journal-Register (June 24, 2022) "Former President Donald Trump will stump for Mary Miller in Mendon" — Quoted on the boost provided by former President Trump’s in-person campaign visit and endorsement for Mary Miller’s congressional primary, the effectiveness of Trump-style politics, and shifts in Illinois Republican voter behavior and fundraising.
Chicago Sun-Times (May 16, 2022) “City Council overwhelmingly OKs compromise ward map” — Analyzed Chicago’s compromise ward map.
Discussed the demographic implications and strategic layout of the proposed "Coalition Map" during the Chicago City Council ward redistricting process.
Injustice Watch (January 12, 2022) "Illinois legislature creates five new judicial subcircuits in Cook County to further diversify the bench." — Cited for data analysis presented to the Illinois state legislature during the Cook County judicial subcircuit remap. Highlighted demographic research showing how gentrification had displaced the Latinx voting base in the 6th subcircuit on Chicago's northwest side.
St. Louis Public Radio (October 22, 2021) "Illinois’ proposed congressional map would boost Democrats" — Used 2018 and 2020 statewide election turnout data to analyze the partisan lean and risks of the proposed Illinois congressional redistricting map (including projected Democratic seat counts and overextension concerns).
The Pantagraph (September 8, 2021) “What an Illinois redistricting expert thinks of Democrats’ new maps” — Interview analyzing Illinois Democrats’ new legislative maps and the redistricting fight.
Crain’s Chicago Business (August 19, 2021) "City remap war begins" — Demographer and political consultant whose number-crunching and mapping analysis for the Latino Caucus informed coverage of Chicago’s ward remap battle and demographic shifts.
Crain’s Chicago Business (August 20, 2021) “Fascinating development on South Side lakefront” — Provided 2020 Census community-area demographic data showing population growth along Chicago’s South Side lakefront, especially Bronzeville through Woodlawn, and contextualized signs of Black middle-class growth.
The Daily Line (May 30, 2021) "New Board of Review boundaries reshuffle Latino voters, lock in 3 safe Dem districts." — Provided the demographic and geographic analysis mapping out the newly drawn Cook County Board of Review districts, breaking down how the redistricting locked Republicans out of power by absorbing shifting suburban demographics.
Chicago Sun-Times (May 24, 2021) "House Republicans call on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto Dems’ legislative maps if they pass the Legislature." — Analyzed the proposed Illinois legislative maps during the redistricting process. Quoted as the map “is designed to cause absolute chaos within the Republican caucus — it’s designed to force retirements and cause primaries,” highlighting the partisan strategy behind the Democratic-drawn districts.
Hyde Park Herald (April 6, 2021) "Redistricting update: estimates show population gain in 4th Ward, loss in 20th" — Provided and analyzed demographic data from the 2010 Census and 2018 American Community Survey estimates, detailing population gains in the 4th and 3rd Wards and sharp losses in the 20th Ward, plus impacts on related state legislative districts.
Injustice Watch (February 27, 2020) "Five things to know about this year's bar association ratings" — Analyzed the electoral impact of negative bar association ratings and demographic dynamics in a contested judicial subcircuit race.
Injustice Watch (December 3, 2019) "Diversity at Stake in Competitive Illinois Supreme Court Race." — Quoted as a judicial campaign consultant detailing minority voter turnout patterns in Cook County, specifically analyzing the participation percentage gaps between African-American and Hispanic voting blocs in judicial elections.
DNAinfo Chicago (February 25, 2015) "Meet Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, the 26-Year-Old Who Stormed Onto City Council" — Provided commentary on Carlos Ramirez-Rosa's historic 35th Ward aldermanic victory over an incumbent and discussed his early trajectory as a leading progressive candidate.
Podcasts & Blogs
The Last Ward (May 24, 2026) "Chicago teachers reject union’s $8.5M dues hike in historic vote" — Highlighted the major political implications of Chicago Teachers Union members rejecting a proposed $8.5 million dues increase for funding school board candidates, re-electing Mayor Brandon Johnson, and supporting allied aldermen.
Ray Hanania on Politics (May 7, 2026) — Guest political consultant discussing political accountability and the high standards required of public officials.
The Crisis Cast (April 2023) “Chicago’s Next Mayor - What REALLY Happened?” — Joined Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin with John Kass, Mary Ann Ahern, and Rod McCulloch for a post-election discussion on Brandon Johnson’s win, polling, turnout, campaign ground games, and the future of City Hall
The CloutCast (November 14, 2021) "A year of redistricting in Illinois" – Joined this Chicago politics podcast as a mapmaker to break down the newly drawn political boundaries for the legislature, state Supreme Court, and congressional districts.
Split Ticket (November 26, 2021) "An Old Coalition Mix-up in Illinois" — Cited as an Illinois political expert analyzing the shifting political geography of the Chicago suburbs.
For What It’s Worth (June 6, 2019) "Frank Calabrese creates maps with GIS technology that show where victories in judicial elections may be found." — Produced detailed maps revealing geographic pockets of strong support for judicial candidates in Cook County.