In this episode of Breaking the Meta, Mike Winson sits down with Kevin Ryan, a Marine Corps veteran, public school teacher, and union member who is running for U.S. Senate in Illinois.
Kevin is running a radically different kind of campaign. Instead of dialing for dollars, he bought a school bus and has traveled to all 102 counties in Illinois, talking directly with voters across the political spectrum. His core message is simple but ambitious: our government doesn’t work for everyday people because money controls politics, and the only real fix is a constitutional amendment.
In this conversation, Kevin explains why he’s running for Senate instead of the House, how money dominates modern elections, what he’s hearing from people across Illinois, and why affordability is the defining issue of this moment. We talk about energy costs, regressive taxation, campaign finance reform, accountability, ICE and law enforcement, foreign policy, the International Criminal Court, and what real representation should look like.
Kevin also lays out what he would do on day one if elected, including introducing a joint resolution to amend the Constitution to declare that money is not speech, corporations are not people, and Congress has the authority to regulate campaign spending.
This is a deep conversation about reform, power, and whether democracy can still be rebuilt from the inside.
If you care about grassroots politics, campaign finance reform, or the future of democracy, this is one to watch.
📌 Learn more about Kevin’s campaign: kevinryan.com
