In a surprising twist in the Illinois gubernatorial race, a new independent candidate has emerged, potentially swaying Republican support away from nominee Darren Bailey. This development has prompted Bailey’s campaign to take action, questioning the legitimacy of this candidate’s spot on the ballot.
Republican officials have initiated a challenge against Collin Corbett, an independent contender for governor, with the aim of preventing his name from appearing in the November election. Corbett, once a dedicated Republican strategist who recently distanced himself from the party, remains optimistic about his campaign’s chances of withstanding this scrutiny.
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Gaining a place on the ballot is a more arduous task for independent candidates than for those affiliated with recognized political parties. They must secure five times the number of signatures on their nomination petitions. Last month, Corbett submitted over 37,000 signatures, with a minimum of 25,000 needing validation for him to qualify.
Expressing his discontent with the current political climate, Corbett remarked, “I just grew fed up with what I was seeing from both parties, my own party and the other party; it was really all just division and hatred.”
Corbett emphasizes that his campaign’s signature-gathering efforts were supported by a diverse network. “We have people all throughout the state, volunteers, family members, supporters. We also have paid companies who are assisting us. It’s a tremendous challenge to get on the ballot as an independent,” he explained.
“We have people all throughout the state, volunteers, family members supporters. We also have paid companies who are supporting us. It’s a tremendous challenge to get on the ballot as an independent,” he said.
Bailey and his running mate, Aaron Del Mar, argue Corbett’s candidacy could siphon Republican votes, particularly from the northwest suburbs, where Corbett is from. Del Mar said Corbett’s candidacy is not official until the petition process is complete.
“Well, I think the first thing is he’s got to stay on the ballot. Everyone just says he’s an independent candidate. Nobody’s a candidate until they get on the ballot,” Del Mar said.
Corbett rejected the idea that his campaign is aimed at undermining any particular candidate.
“I have no interest in hurting anyone, this is a pro Illinois movement. It is not anti-anything or anyone,” he said, adding that he believes his campaign could attract supporters of both Bailey and Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.
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Bailey’s campaign says a review of Corbett’s petitions uncovered numerous problematic signatures, leading to a formal objection. Del Mar said the challenge targets a large share of the submitted signatures.
“We’re objecting to over 20,000 of the 38,000 signatures, or so-called signatures, that were submitted, because we don’t believe they’ve met the criteria in order to stay on the ballot,” Del Mar said.
Corbett said the objections only strengthened his confidence.
“We were heartened to see in the challenge just how sloppy and amateur that it was, all sorts of obvious mistakes and problems in their challenge, which make us even more confident that we’re going to make it on the ballot,” he said.
The petition challenge process is expected to take several weeks, as tens of thousands of signatures are reviewed. The Illinois State Board of Elections will ultimately decide whether Corbett qualifies for the ballot.
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