Former Republican strategist Collin Corbett files to run for governor as independent

SPRINGFIELD — Former Republican strategist Collin Corbett says he is hoping to bring a more balanced voice to the Illinois governor’s race after filing petitions to run for governor as an independent on Tuesday.

Corbett, of Palatine, is the founder of the political consulting firm Cor Strategies, which has helped Republican candidates run for office. He left the firm following the primary after expressing concerns the party supports violent immigration raids and no longer welcomes opposing opinions. He also ended his “Smoke-Filled Room” podcast.

“What I want to show is that there is a path for solutions — not the bickering, not the fighting,” Corbett told reporters after filing 37,000 signatures at the State Board of Elections. “People really want to see solutions that make their lives better. They’re fed up with all the hatred and the infighting. And so if we can show that, I’m going to take that as a big win.”

Cor Strategies has most recently helped the campaigns of Republican Bryan Drew for comptroller, Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, and Republican Don Tracy for U.S. Senate, according to state and federal campaign records.

Corbett said he’s looking for more “balance” from the state’s leaders and criticized both President Donald Trump and Gov. JB Pritzker.

“I will stand up and oppose the president when he’s wrong,” Corbett said. “I’ve done it, even when I was a member of the Republican Party, I did it repeatedly. So I’ve proven that I’ll do that, but you also need somebody in office who isn’t there just to pick political fights with the president because they want to be president.”

Issues, challenges

On specific Statehouse issues, Corbett praised bipartisan bills to reform the state’s biometric privacy laws and recent push to pass legislation designed to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.

On abortion, which is often a top litmus test for voters, Corbett said “government shouldn’t be getting involved in women’s medical decisions.”

Corbett has enlisted Carolyn Schofield of Crystal Lake to be his running mate. Schofield is a former Republican McHenry County Board member who ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside former Republican State Sen. Paul Schimpf. She also recently left her job as a staff assistant for the Illinois Senate Republican caucus.

Corbett said he picked her because of her policy-focused role as vice chair of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

Independents face hurdles just to get on the ballot in addition to a lack of support from a major party. Statewide independents and third-party candidates must file 25,000 valid signatures, while Democrats and Republicans need 5,000. Corbett says his internal polling shows he can do better than many third-party candidates who get just a few percentage points of the vote.

“This gives us a great chance to be able to bring forward our message to talk about the need for more balance in this state, more bipartisanship in this state,” Corbett said. “We’ve got Republicans and Democrats who are supporting us, which is excellent to see, and the data also says that we’ve got a better chance to beat JB Pritzker in a head-to-head race” than Republican nominee Darren Bailey.

Corbett’s candidacy faces an array of challenges, including building name recognition and raising enough money to do so.

“You’re going to start to see a lot of positive developments on our fundraising,” he said. “It’s not going to be too long before we pass the Republican candidate on fundraising. We’ll never pass the Democratic candidate, but we’re going to certainly have the funds to be able to compete.”

His campaign has reported raising $40,000 since May 1, according to State Board of Elections records. Bailey has raised $121,500 since April 1 in addition to $81,000 he had on hand at the end of March. Tracy, Corbett’s former client, is among Bailey’s recent donors.

“Illinois voters aren’t interested in a vanity project from a failed political consultant that will only further JB Pritzker’s presidential ambitions,” Bailey spokesperson Travis Akin said in an email. “Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar are running a solutions-oriented campaign that will turn our state around, put more money into the pockets of everyday families, make our streets more safe, and ensure Illinois becomes an economic powerhouse in our country.”

Pritzker had $14.2 million on hand at the end of March. He spent more than $300 million in total on his first two campaigns.

Pritzker’s campaign declined to comment.

Other candidates

Other independents filed to run for other offices, especially in the 4^th Congressional District where incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia ended his candidacy just before the petition filing deadline last fall. That made way for his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, to quickly file petitions and become the lone major party candidate on the ballot.

The maneuver sparked outrage and Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez, organizer Mayra Macías and Lyons Mayor Chris Getty filed to run as independents in the district.

Two candidates also filed to run for U.S. Senate.

Three others, including Green Party candidate Griselda Romero of Lisle, filed to run for governor.

In Illinois, people can challenge the veracity of petition signatures with the state elections board. If the challenge is deemed valid, the board can remove the candidate from the ballot. Illinoisans have until June 2 to challenge petitions.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.