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Andy Williams Jr.

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Andy Williams Jr.
Republican Party
Candidate, Attorney General of Illinois
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
March 17, 2026
Education
High school
East Aurora High School
Bachelor's
Lewis University, 2012
Bachelor's
Northwestern College, 2010
Other
Lewis University, 1991
Graduate
Lewis University, 2012
Personal
Birthplace
Aurora, IL
Religion
Spiritual
Profession
Advocate
Contact
Campaign website
Campaign Facebook
Campaign X
Campaign Instagram
Campaign YouTube
Campaign TikTok
Personal website
Personal Facebook
Personal Instagram
Personal LinkedIn

Andy Williams Jr. (Republican Party) (also known as Hood Candidate) is running for election for Attorney General of Illinois. He is a write-in candidate in the Republican primary on March 17, 2026.

Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Andy Williams Jr. was born in Aurora, Illinois. He earned a high school diploma from East Aurora High School, additional education from Lewis University in 1991, a bachelor's degree from Northwestern College in 2010, and a graduate degree from Lewis University in 2012. His career experience includes working as a teacher, advocate, and minister. Williams has been affiliated with Revolutionary Republicans, the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the National Association of Attorneys General.[1]

Elections

2026

See also: Illinois Attorney General election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois

Incumbent Kwame Raoul (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Kwame Raoul
Kwame Raoul

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois

Bob Fioretti (R) and Andy Williams Jr. (R) are running in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Bob Fioretti
Bob Fioretti
Image of Andy Williams Jr.
Andy Williams Jr. (Write-in) Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

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2020

Presidency

See also: Presidential candidates, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes.


Presidential election, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
51.3
 
81,282,632 306
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
46.9
 
74,223,234 232
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
1.2
 
1,864,873 0
Image of
Image of
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)
 
0.3
 
402,795 0
Image of
Roque De La Fuente (multiple running mates) (Alliance Party)
 
0.1
 
88,214 0
Image of
Gloria La Riva (multiple running mates) (Party for Socialism and Liberation)
 
0.1
 
84,905 0
Image of
Image of
Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent)
 
0.0
 
67,906 0
Image of
Image of
Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party)
 
0.0
 
59,924 0
Image of
Image of
Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Independent)
 
0.0
 
49,764 0
Image of
Image of
Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (American Solidarity Party)
 
0.0
 
35,260 0
Image of
Image of
Alyson Kennedy/Malcolm Jarrett (Socialist Workers Party)
 
0.0
 
6,791 0
Image of
Image of
Bill Hammons/Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party)
 
0.0
 
6,647 0
Image of
Jade Simmons (multiple running mates) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
6,534 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jerry Segal/John de Graaf (Bread and Roses)
 
0.0
 
5,949 0
Image of
Image of
Dario David Hunter/Dawn Neptune Adams (Progressive Party)
 
0.0
 
5,394 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Phil Collins/Billy Joe Parker (Prohibition Party)
 
0.0
 
4,844 0
Image of
Image of
Jesse Ventura/Cynthia McKinney (Green Party of Alaska)
 
0.0
 
3,284 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
President Boddie/Eric Stoneham (C.U.P.)
 
0.0
 
3,171 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Joe McHugh/Elizabeth Storm (Independent)
 
0.0
 
2,843 0
Image of
Image of
Mark Charles/Adrian Wallace (Independent)
 
0.0
 
2,662 0
Image of
Sheila Tittle (multiple running mates) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,806 0
Image of
Image of
Connie Gammon/Phil Collins (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,475 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
J.R. Myers/Tiara Lusk (Life and Liberty)
 
0.0
 
1,372 0
Image of
Image of
Tom Hoefling/Andy Prior (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,241 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
H. Brooke Paige/Thomas Witman (Grumpy Old Patriots)
 
0.0
 
1,175 0
Image of
Image of
Christopher Lafontaine/Michael Speed (Independent)
 
0.0
 
856 0
Image of
Kyle Kenley Kopitke (multiple running mates) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
815 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Ricki Sue King/Dayna Chandler (Genealogy Know Your Family History Party)
 
0.0
 
546 0
Image of
Image of
Princess Khadijah Maryam Jacob-Fambro/Khadijah Maryam Jacob Sr. (Independent)
 
0.0
 
497 0
Image of
Image of
Blake Huber/Frank Atwood (Approval Voting Party)
 
0.0
 
409 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Joseph Kishore/Norissa Santa Cruz (Socialist Equality Party)
 
0.0
 
317 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Richard Duncan/Mitch Bupp (Independent)
 
0.0
 
213 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jordan Marc Scott/Jennifer Tepool (Independent)
 
0.0
 
175 0
Image of
Image of
Gary Swing/David Olszta (Boiling Frog)
 
0.0
 
141 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Keith McCormic/Sam Blasiak (Bull Moose)
 
0.0
 
126 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Zachary Scalf/Matthew Lyda (Independent)
 
0.0
 
29 0
  Other write-in votes
 
0.1
 
183,207 0

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 158,402,026

0 states have not been called.



Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Andy Williams Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Andy is a Justice Advocate, Social Entrepreneur, and

Conservative Political Activist dedicated to empowering people and transforming systems. Once directly impacted by incarceration, he has turned his lived experience into leadership—championing second chances, judicial and prosecutorial accountability, and equitable communities. Andy is the founder of AWJ Ministries, a ministry dedicated to liberating individuals from mental, physical, and spiritual bondage.

Andy serves as the Director of Litigation, Advocacy, and Strategy at For the People, LLC, a public interest law firm committed to justice.

He has twice pursued the U.S. presidency—first as a Libertarian candidate in 2020 and again as an Independent in 2024—guided by his unwavering mission to advance freedom and liberation by any means necessary.

Andy is the co-founder of transformative movements such as the National Coalition for Prisoner Voting Rights and the Revolutionary Republicans. In 2021, he led a groundbreaking legal challenge in the Northern District of Illinois as a Private Attorney General, confronting the Thirteenth Amendment's lingering ties to slavery.
  • Our rights come from natures God and a creator, not the government.
  • We the people have the power. The role of the government is to serve the people.
  • It's time for a new government that is is the right of the people as written in the Declaration of Independence.
Religious Freedom, Parental Rights, and the right to bear arms for self defense.
It is one of the cornerstone components of the government and legal system. The Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the people's rights.
Law and public policy are two interconnected, yet fundamentally distinct, domains that shape the fabric of our society. Law is the foundation and public policy is to ensure that government does not violate or infringe upon the people's rights.
Official misconduct.
Protecting the rights of the people.
Yes. Our states should be sovereign and the Federal Government has limited authority over the states.
Yes. In my situation, from a layman's perspective.
Christ. I follow Christ because that's how I became conscious of self.
Uphold their oath or affirmation to support and defend the constitution.
Be an advocate for the people, protect their rights, and follow the law.
A man of the people who was wise, just, and fair.
Went to Germany. I was seven.
A paperboy. Five years
The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I love his self determination and liberation for all people once he left Mecca.
He-Man
Overcoming other peoples opinion of me.
Sheriff James Mendrick, Chain o Lakes, Jim Raab, Edward Lapinski, Stewart Rhodes, Cedric Frison, Jodi Rabich, Juanita Hernandez, Becky Nelson, Tyrone Muhammad just to name a few.
Yes. The signature requirement.
Yes. One lady signed my petition because of the color of my skin. She said there needs to be more people of color who are open conservatives in Illinois
Believing that I can do anything I put my mind to.
Trump v. Anderson

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.


2024

Candidate Connection

Andy Williams Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Andy Williams Jr is an abolitionist, minister, and teacher. Born in Aurora, Illinois, he dropped out of high school and took up residency at the Illinois Department of Corrections. Determined to improve himself, Andy moved on to Lewis University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies. On July 1, 2021, Andy filed a claim against the United States and 30 states seeking an injunction against the practice of low-pay and unpaid prison labor and a judicial declaration that the exception for prison labor in the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibition on slavery is unconstitutional. On July 3, 2023, Andy Williams announced his campaign for President running on the We Are the People Party platform with a message of unity and restoring hope and power back to the people.
  • We need to restore our Constitutional Republic
  • We need government accountability
  • We need to Abolish Prisons and institute restorative justice.
Repealing all unconstitutional acts, limiting the role of government, and protecting the rights of the people.
Fredrick Douglas

Tony Evans
Mike Murdock
Larry Hoover Sr.

Thich Nhat Hanh
Jesus and Buddha as Brothers

From Gangster Disciple to Growth and Development, The Blue Print
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
Brainwashed-Tom Burrell

Rebuild the Dream Van Jones
Be concerned with what is right, not popular. Be focused on the next generation, not the next election.
I am a principled man who believes in dong unto others as you would have them do to you, now what they have done to you.
Serve all the people and protect their rights from government, corporate, and religious oppression.
Andy truly and genuinely cared about people. He could see the good in anyone.
Went to Germany when I was seven.
Paperboy-Three years
The Autobiography of Malcolm X- His life is a testament to redemption and hope when one removes the bias from their eyes.
Jesus
Born for This-The Score
Overcoming fear of failure.
You so ugly they had to tie a porkchop around your neck so the dog would play with you.
Maximus Parthas-Abolish Slavery National Network
Prison Lives Matter

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.


Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Andy Williams Jr. campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024President of the United StatesLost general$0 N/A**
2020President of the United StatesLost general$0 N/A**
Grand total$0 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

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External links

Candidate

Attorney General of Illinois
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    		•

    Personal

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    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on December 2, 2025
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