By Illinois Review
Independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett has survived a ballot challenge filed by Republican lieutenant governor nominee Aaron Del Mar, clearing the way for his candidacy to appear on the November 2026 ballot.
According to an Illinois State Board of Elections Electoral Board report following a multi-day records examination, Corbett finished 2,323 signatures above the 25,000 valid-signature threshold required to qualify for the ballot.
Corbett submitted more than 37,000 signatures when he filed his independent candidacy in late May.
Del Mar and campaign ally Kristina McCloy from Hinsdale are listed as the official objectors in the challenge.
After reviewing challenged signatures, election officials determined Corbett retained enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Corbett announced the outcome Wednesday evening on social media, confirming that he will appear on the November ballot as an independent candidate for governor.
The development sets up a three-way contest between incumbent Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, Republican nominee Darren Bailey, and Corbett.
A longtime Republican strategist and small business owner from the Palatine area, Corbett launched his independent bid after breaking with the Republican Party a few months ago.
He has described his campaign as a “mainstream independent movement” focused on affordability, economic growth, and reforming what he describes as a broken two-party system. Carolyn Schofield is running as Corbett’s lieutenant governor candidate.
The ballot challenge has drawn additional attention because of the longstanding personal and political relationship between Corbett and Del Mar, who were once close allies in northwest suburban Republican politics.
The two men have worked together in Republican politics in the northwest suburbs for more than a decade. In 2009, Corbett withdrew from a Palatine Township primary race and endorsed Del Mar.
Both men later played prominent roles in Palatine-area Republican politics, with Del Mar serving as Palatine Township Republican committeeman and Corbett serving as president of the Palatine Township Republican Organization.
Their friendship extended beyond politics. In a 2019 Facebook post, Corbett publicly referred to Del Mar as his “political brother.”
“Today, my #thankful post is for my political brother and sister, Aaron Del Mar and Sharon Langlotz-Johnson,” Corbett wrote. “As ‘siblings’ we fight 99% of the time, but we’ve been close for nearly a decade since bringing about much-needed change in Palatine Township.”
Corbett added that he and Del Mar had “done dozens of things together politically,” but that he was most appreciative of their personal friendship.
The challenge therefore placed two longtime political allies on opposite sides of one of the most consequential ballot fights of the 2026 election cycle.
Del Mar and McCloy played prominent roles in the effort to keep Corbett off the ballot. McCloy appeared publicly alongside Del Mar when the objections were filed and became one of the most visible advocates for the challenge effort.
Despite those efforts, the Electoral Board report shows Corbett finished 2,323 signatures above the required threshold, comfortably securing ballot access for November.
Corbett’s successful petition defense officially sets the stage for a three-way gubernatorial contest this fall between Gov. JB Pritzker, Republican nominee Darren Bailey, and a longtime Republican strategist now running outside the party he once helped build.
The outcome marks a setback for Del Mar and McCloy, whose challenge was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing Corbett from appearing on the ballot. It also guarantees that Illinois voters will have a third option in the governor’s race, potentially complicating the political calculus for both major-party campaigns heading into November.
