Illinois third-party candidates allege collusion over debate exclusions

Third-party candidates in Illinois are alleging collusion after being excluded from the only debates held for their respective statewide races. Independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett and American Center Party U.S. Senate candidate Whitfield Harrington were both barred from participating in debates hosted by Chicago-area PBS station WTTW.

Corbett, a former Republican strategist, claims that a sudden release of polling data rendered recent rule changes by WTTW—which had initially loosened eligibility requirements—moot. He expressed skepticism regarding the timing of the polling, which was conducted by Public Policy Polling. Corbett suggested the polling may have been influenced by Democratic incumbent Governor J. B. Pritzker, noting that Pritzker had purchased full-page advertisements in Chicago News Weekly, the publication that shared the poll results.

The poll indicated Corbett held 6% support among 569 respondents. Corbett argued that the coordination between the media outlet, the polling data, and the Pritzker campaign effectively prevented third-party voices from reaching the debate stage.