Drones, Downstate Jobs & the American Dream | Whitfield Harrington Jr. | Building It Talk

One week before Election Day, Randy Ellington sits down with Whitfield Harrington Jr., candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois. Raised in the Mississippi Delta and now a pastor in Chicago, he talks about why cheap drones are beating expensive missiles, how contractors "rob our military blind with just ink pens," why small counties should team up to land big plants, river ports, oil speculators and gas prices, direct primary care, and how he'd "renovate" the American Dream. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:41 Whitfield Harrington Jr.: Mississippi Delta to Chicago 2:52 Modernizing government technology 4:32 Defense: cheap drones vs. expensive missiles 7:09 Contractor waste: "robbed blind with ink pens" 9:11 Bringing factories back to Illinois 10:53 River ports & county coalitions 13:53 Cairo & downstate leadership 15:41 I-55, rail & the Delta lesson 17:39 Data centers, hatcheries & tourism 19:08 The minimum wage debate 20:09 What "the center" means 21:42 Cost of living: oil prices & speculators 26:43 Healthcare: Direct Primary Care 29:58 An anti-fraud cabinet department 31:52 Rivers & bridges as national security 35:30 Home defense: fires, water & reserves 37:09 All-of-the-above energy 38:10 Paul O'Neill & The Price of Loyalty 39:23 Rivian & flagship companies 42:07 Closing: Renovating the American Dream Campaign site: https://whit4ilsenate.com/ Building It Talk doesn't endorse candidates. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 3. 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2XQ7rWU... 🎙️ Be a guest: https://buildingittalk.com/guest 🌐 buildingittalk.com #BuildingItTalk #Illinois #USSenate #Manufacturing #EconomicDevelopment