Carolyn Schofield is running for Illinois lieutenant governor as an Independent on a joint ticket with gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Schofield, a Crystal Lake resident, faces Republican Aaron Del Mar and Democrat Christian L. Mitchell. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run as a single ticket in the general election. The lieutenant governor's independent constitutional authority is limited; most of the policy proposals below would require action by the governor, the General Assembly or both. The race appears on ballots across the state, including in Lake County.
The following profile is based on Schofield's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. Policy positions attributed to the Corbett-Schofield ticket reflect the campaign's shared platform.
Candidate information
- Name: Carolyn Schofield
- Party: Independent
- Residence: Crystal Lake, Illinois
- Education: Bachelor's degree in general engineering with environmental quality specialization, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1994
Experience and public service
Schofield describes herself as a policy expert with over 20 years of experience in state and local government, according to her campaign website.
Her professional background includes work as a field engineer in fire protection and as a legislative director in the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield. She also served as a substitute teacher in Crystal Lake School District 47.
In elected office, Schofield served on the Crystal Lake City Council beginning in 2009, according to BallotReady. She was elected to the McHenry County Board in 2018, according to producer-reviewed campaign records. BallotReady also lists county board activity in 2012 and 2016. She says she serves as president of the McHenry County Mental Health Board and as vice chair of the On to 2050 Regional Plan at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. BallotReady lists her as an executive committee member at CMAP since 2013.
On the issues
The policy positions below come from the Corbett-Schofield ticket's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. They are presented as the campaign's stated positions, not independently verified claims. Most would require legislative action, executive authority or both to implement.
Taxes and budget. The ticket says it would lower property taxes, which the campaign calls the highest in the country. The campaign also pledges to freeze discretionary spending in its first year and implement what it describes as transparent accountability standards for measuring the impact of tax dollars. No specific funding mechanism or legislation has been identified by the campaign.
Healthcare. The ticket says it would reduce health care costs by reforming the Certificate of Need process and addressing market consolidation, which the campaign says stifles competition and artificially increases medical prices for Illinois residents, according to its affordability platform. Certificate of Need reform would require action by the General Assembly.
Energy and gas prices. The campaign says it would bring down energy costs and provide relief at the pump. The campaign claims Illinois drivers pay the third-highest gas taxes in the country. The ticket also pledges to strengthen manufacturing, agriculture and logistics by lowering energy costs and restoring reliability, according to its economic growth platform. No specific legislation or revenue offsets have been detailed.
Government reform. The ticket says it would end partisan gerrymandering with fair maps, create open primaries, pursue campaign finance reform and increase transparency, according to its reform platform. Each of these changes would require legislation or constitutional amendments beyond the executive branch's authority.
Public safety. The campaign says it would fix the Department of Corrections, alleging that hundreds of inmates have been abused and sexually assaulted, including what the campaign describes as over 900 minors in juvenile detention facilities. The ticket also pledges to hold offenders accountable while investing in rehabilitation.
Editor's note: The gas tax and property tax rankings cited above are the campaign's claims. Independent verification was not available in the materials reviewed for this profile. Implementation details, cost estimates and funding sources for the proposals listed were not provided by the campaign.
