Gary Pierce (Illinois)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Gary Pierce

Independence Party

Candidate, Governor of Illinois

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 17, 2020

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

High school

East Aurora High School

Associates

Waubonsee Community College, 1984

Bachelor's

MacMurray College, 2005

Graduate

University of Illinois, Springfield, 2015

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1979 - 1981

Personal

Profession

Counselor

Contact

Campaign website

Gary Pierce (Independence Party) is running for election for Governor of Illinois. Pierce declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.

Pierce completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Gary Pierce served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1981. Pierce earned a high school diploma from East Aurora High School, an associate degree from Waubonsee Community College in 1984, a bachelor's degree from MacMurray College in 2005, and a graduate degree from the University of Illinois, Springfield in 2015. Pierce's career experience includes working as a counselor.

Elections

2026

See also: Illinois gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial 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.

General election for Governor of Illinois

Gary Pierce (Independence Party) is running in the general election for Governor of Illinois on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Gary Pierce (Independence Party)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois

Incumbent J.B. Pritzker (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		J.B. Pritzker

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Patricia L. Tillman (D)

Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for Governor of Illinois

Darren Bailey (R), Ted Dabrowski (R), Rick Heidner (R), and James Mendrick (R) are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Illinois on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Darren Bailey
		Ted Dabrowski
		Rick Heidner
		James Mendrick

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Andro Lerario (R)
• Gregg Moore (R)
• Joseph Severino (R)
• Max Solomon (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2020

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Illinois House of Representatives District 96

Incumbent Sue Scherer defeated Charles McGorray and John Keating in the general election for Illinois House of Representatives District 96 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Scherer (D)	51.5	20,742
	Submit photo	Charles McGorray (R)	44.4	17,865
	Submit photo	John Keating (G)	4.1	1,657

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,264
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 96

Incumbent Sue Scherer advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 96 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Scherer	100.0	6,762

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,762
= 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.

Republican primary election

No Republicans filed for this race. Gary Pierce ran as a write-in and received 27 votes. He did not receive enough votes to make the general election ballot.

2016

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.

Incumbent Sue Scherer ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 96 general election.

Illinois House of Representatives, District 96 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Sue Scherer Incumbent (unopposed)
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

Incumbent Sue Scherer ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 96 Democratic primary.

Illinois House of Representatives, District 96 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Sue Scherer Incumbent (unopposed)

Cindy Deadrick Wolfer defeated Gary Pierce in the Illinois House of Representatives District 96 Republican primary.

Illinois House of Representatives, District 96 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Cindy Deadrick Wolfer	60.02%	5,389
	Republican	Gary Pierce	39.98%	3,589
Total Votes				8,978

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gary Pierce completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pierce's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Addiction Counselor/Licensed Ordained Minister of the Gospel. Married to my wife for 44 years. Four adult children. Associate Degree in Political Science, Bachelor's Degree in Social work, and Masters in Human Services. Certified Alcohol/Drug Counselor for 11 years. Raised by a mother who brought us up North to Illinois 62 years ago for a better opportunity, not for a change of scenery. I have been involved in politics as a Campaign Coordinator in the 1984 Presidential election. I have served as an election judge in several elections. Precinct Committeeman for 10 years, and a Poll watcher. I have registered over 500 people to vote throughout my career in politics. I have run for office as a school board candidate, and State Representative in 2016. I attempted to form a party called the "JOBS PARTY" in 2014. I ran as a write-in candidate for State Representative in 2018.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Secure Borders. A sovereign nation must maintain order at its boundaries to protect its citizens. Establish fair immigration policies that serve the American people, prioritize American employment and protect working-class wages,
• Lift up Communities. True progress is measured by how we support those who have been left behind. Focus public policy on empowering impoverished areas and helping those struggling with addiction and hardship.
• Civil Liberties. Fundamental rights are inherent to every individual and must never be traded for security. Restore and protect freedom of speech and fundamental civil rights from government and corporate overreach.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healing the current divide in politics and racism.

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.

2020

Gary Pierce did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also

2026 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Governor of Illinois

Website

Footnotes

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