Collin Corbett, an Independent from Palatine, is running for Illinois governor in the Nov. 3 general election. He faces Republican Darren Bailey and J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat.

Asked why he is running, Corbett said in our candidate questionnaire: "Our broken political system is grinding Illinois to a halt. Instead of solving problems, it pits us against each other and rewards the most extreme voices instead of the smartest solutions."

Candidate information

Party: "Independent"

Education: "High School"

Family: "Married to Abbey. One son, Theodore Rex (T Rex), expecting a second child, and a rescue dog, Dustin."

Occupation: "Political strategist and small business owner. Currently on a leave of absence from my companies for this run."

Previous elected or appointed office: "N/A"

Responses from our candidate questionnaire.

Experience and public service

Corbett has no prior elected office.

He said in our questionnaire: "Over the past two decades, I have recruited and trained over 3,500 everyday people to help them get involved in the political process. I founded Cor Strategies, EmpowerPolitics, and Long9 Studio, through which I have advanced nearly 1,200 organizations and campaigns throughout the country."

He served as founding visionary at Cor Strategies from 2009 to 2026 and co-founded EmpowerPolitics in 2025, according to BallotReady.

On the issues

Top priority: affordability. Asked about his single most important issue, Corbett said: "How unaffordable our state has become is the single biggest issue for working families … 21% of Illinoisans said the state is affordable compared to 57% who said it is too expensive." He said Pritzker "raised taxes and fees at least 57 times since taking office, costing the average Illinoisan over $1,400 a year more in taxes."

Economy. Asked what the state should do about cost of living, Corbett said: "Since JB Pritzker took office, Illinois ranks 46th in GDP growth, 45th in job growth, and 39th in income growth." He said he would "scale back these giveaways and instead help our small-to-midsize businesses, manufacturers, and family farmers … phase out the estate tax so family-owned manufacturers and farms can be passed on to the next generation."

Pensions and property taxes. Corbett said: "Decades of politicians underfunding pension funds and high Tier 1 benefit structures mean state funding is consumed paying off legacy debt service …" He said he would "freeze discretionary spending" in his first year and move toward "fully funding our schools and municipalities using incentive programs that reward local governments for lowering property taxes for working families."

Education. Corbett said: "Illinois covers just 24.5% of local school budgets, down from 27% when JB Pritzker took office. The national average is 45%. School districts are forced to make up the shortfall through increased property taxes."

Data centers and energy. Corbett said in our questionnaire: "I have a common sense plan that enables smart economic growth while protecting our natural resources and environment, shielding families from soaring utility bills, empowering local residents, and delivering property tax relief for Illinoisans." He said he would put in place "a state-level framework that ensures data centers are negotiated transparently, protects energy ratepayers, reduces water consumption, delivers real property tax relief, respects neighboring communities, and reforms BIPA."

Public safety. Corbett said he would "protect the improvements made under the SAFE-T Act while increasing detainable offenses and judicial discretion." He called fixing the Department of Children and Family Services a top priority, saying: "Under the state's care, more than 1,200 of our most vulnerable children have died and 3,000 seriously injured since 2018."

Government reform. According to his campaign website, Corbett supports ending partisan gerrymandering, open primaries, campaign finance reform and increasing transparency in campaign finances.

What sets him apart. Corbett said: "47% of Americans now identify as Independent, nearly double the number that identify with each of the two political parties. 38% of Illinoisans consider themselves moderate … Yet the mainstream is woefully underrepresented in our politics."

Candidate responses were collected through the Surround Sound News candidate questionnaire. All policy positions and biographical claims are attributed to the candidate.