January 17, 2026
INSIDE THE RIV
(Riviera Theater)
4746 N RACINE AVE.
CHICAGO, IL
PROGRESSIVE POWER PLAYERS
TAKE OVER CHICAGO
TO MAP DEMOCRATS’ 2026 PLAYBOOK
This isn’t a boring political conference.
This is politics as entertainment.
Common Ground Flips The Script
If you want to understand where progressive politics is actually headed — you need to be in the room where it starts. Two days of political workshops, panels, and a night you won’t forget. Seats are LIMITED.
Miss it, and you’ll be catching clips instead of shaping the moment.
Common Ground is the first major progressive convening of 2026—the moment where last year’s energy turns into structure.
January 16 and 17, 2026
Bringing together 25+ political influencers with 15M+ combined followers alongside candidates Demi Palecek, Dylan Blaha, and Kat Abughazaleh, expect an honest, unfiltered conversation about surviving this administration, building new age coalitions, and how we actually move forward and win. T
100% grassroots. Zero corporate money.
Common Ground isn’t a spectacle — it’s infrastructure, built in public.
If you care about:
Small-donor power
Coalition-building
Politics that actually wins
This is where the next chapter actually begins.
This is a live, comedy-driven experience that feels more like a late-night show than a panel discussion.
We pull your favorite creators out from behind the screen and put them on stage together
Debating, clashing, laughing, and telling the truth in a
The Real Housewives-style reunion format,
inspired by the energy of Andy Cohen himself.
Think Bravo reunion format meets grassroots movement-building, benefitting Demi Palecek for Illinois State Representative (IL-13) & Dylan Blaha for US House of Representatives (IL-13).
Hosted by the hilariously sharp Small Plates Steve, the night blends whimsy, irreverence, and unfiltered humor with real political substance.
It’s messy—in the best way. It’s playful, provocative, and wildly entertaining.
Think comedy show.
Think cultural moment.
Think politics that people actually want to watch.
This is Common Ground—where laughter opens the door, and real conversations take the stage.
“Advocates on the front lines are done with establishment politics. Common Ground creates a space where people can connect as humans first and tackle real issues like affordability and immigration without the political theater.”
SATURDAY EVENING PROGRAMMING
The evening will spotlight:
● Direct collaboration between creators and campaigns
● Coalition-building across movements and districts
● Political spaces that don’t require wealth or insider access
● Viable campaigns funded entirely by small donors
This is the beginning, not the end, of a larger cultural movement.
The Real Fighters of American Politics provides a sharp, intentional nod to Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise.
The event flips the script on political engagement not as spectacle but infrastructure; built in public, fueled by community, and unapologetically focused on material outcomes.
Common Ground anchors real-world organizing, small-donor economics, and cultural relevance while maintaining a clear and direct fundraising focus on Palecek’s 100% grassroots campaign.
Common Ground Chicago
is designed to demonstrate what
political gatherings look like
now: grounded, human, culturally alive, and
built for participation, not extraction.
Why This Event Feels Different
This is offline politics—real people, in the same room, building something tangible
Not just talking heads:
○ Workshops
○ Organizing sessions
○ Demonstrations
○ Speeches
○ Coalition-building
ACTION over ideology and COMMUNITY over commentary.
People will be talking about this.
The question is whether you were there.