Michael Pierce: 2026 candidate for 11th Congressional District

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: 11th Congressional District

City: Naperville

Age: 61

Occupation: Retired U.S. Army Officer

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

What is your top issue and how do you propose to address it?

Bringing high paying jobs back to Illinois and restoring its economic strength locally and nationally. For the last several decades Illinois has gradually been losing key industries, population, and it has impacted our national standing. Illinois used to many more representatives in Congress than it does today.

This trend can be reversed by reducing or ridding unnecessary Federal level regulations that are choking off manufacturing jobs; reducing taxes on both individuals and small businesses who have been disproportionally hurt by sweetheart deals for some companies, while local communities carry a heavier burden on their taxpayers; incentivize community education that provides training for all key sectors of the economy and work with industry to develop cohorts of trained Illinois workers who can find jobs here rather than be forced to move to other states to achieve financial success and stability.

Key sectors of this include AI, cyber, traditional manufacturing, as well as practical, vocational training in the trades that will ensure a stable, prosperous and productive future for the citizens of the state of Illinois.

Do you support the unilateral foreign policy course President Trump has taken with such actions as the bombing of Iran, assaults on Venezuelan ships and the seizure of the Venezuelan president?

These moves were necessary to maintain national security, the safety of the American people, and international stability. The Iranian regime has been striving to dominate the entire Middle East. They were in the process of achieving full weapons grade uranium. They would have weaponized this, triggering a nuclear arms race that would significantly increased the likelihood of actual nuclear war, a catastrophe by any measure.

I support removing Maduro who was a wanted fugitive during both the Trump and Biden administrations for his role in trafficking people and drugs to the United States. His narco-terrorist state has nearly destroyed Venezuela, one of the greatest Countries in our Hemisphere and an early leader of freedom and democracy in Latin America, but it has also led to more dead Americans than multiple Vietnam Wars.

On a personal level, I hold Maduro responsible for the deaths and addictions of friends and family members to his illegal drug trade. Maduro was propped up by a combined axis of China and Iran, using Cuban mercenaries to maintain his stranglehold on the country as his people suffered runaway inflation, executions, and the pillaging of its natural resources.

The executive branch has expanded its powers in recent years on foreign policy, economic tariffs, executive orders and more. Are you satisfied with the direction these activities are moving? If so, why? If not, what needs to be done differently?

The executive branch is constitutionally vested with specific powers. The number of orders varies by president. For example, in his first term Trump averaged issuing 55 orders per year. On the other hand, Jimmy Carter averaged 80.

Let's look at the results so far. Within a month the U.S. border was secured and has remained so ever since. $1.5 trillion worth of investments by manufacturers coming back to the country has been made, this will lead to re-shoring tens of thousands of jobs to America. Gas prices have gone down significantly across the country.

Thousands of illegal alien criminals (murderers, rapists, drug pushers, human traffickers) have been arrested and processed and being sent back to their country of origin, or a third nation. Peace agreements have been made around the world that have stopped many conflicts in their tracks.

The Middle East has started moving in to a new orbit and the combination of direct action, diplomacy and economic pressure has brought parties to the table in trade competition with countries such as China, Japan, India, and the EU.

What should U.S. border policy be? If elected, what would you do to make it happen?

The U.S. border should remain secured and border enforcement agencies should be properly funded. The border wall should be completed and measures taken to ensure that people who illegally enter the U.S. or who violate our laws will be prosecuted and deported. A country without borders is not a country.

We are a nation of laws. Ignoring our borders has led to significant second and third term effects that have disproportionately hurt our nations most vulnerable communities- minorities, underserved communities throughout the country, disabled, seniors, and Veterans who are on fixed incomes have all had their share of social and medical services reduced due to the lawlessness of the Biden administration's border policies.

When elected, I will work to ensure our borders are protected and that the flow of drugs, trafficked children, and involuntary servitude forced upon those seeking a better life is put to an end.

What should be the government’s role in assuring health care for Americans? What should be done regarding the ACA to better perform this function?

Government involvement in health care has led to the exponential rise in health care costs, less services for most, and higher costs, less choice, and lengthy waits for both short-term emergency care as well as long- term care.

The ACA should be phased out, and we must reduce regulations that cause stagnation and lack of competition. This includes prescription drugs that have often times been marketed to treat illnesses through shortcuts rather than more appropriate, and effective treatments.

Take a pill has become the new theme for nearly everything. This has reduced many in our population to taking medications that simply cover up symptoms, while the underlying causes of many illnesses remain untreated, particularly in cases of mental illness and weight related disorders.

We should promote policies that lead to training more health care professionals, reducing frivolous litigation that drives up costs, take out excess profiteering and corruption by third party agencies, and promote an overall healthier, wholistic lifestyle for all Americans.

What is your vision for a solution to conflicts involving Israel and the Palestinians? What should the United States be doing to advance this position?

The vision is that the Palestinian people the rid themselves of the yoke of the oppression of their own leaders, come to the table and make peace. The U.S. should not fund fake aid organizations that are terrorist groups that incentivize terrorist activities through rewards and other methods.

The Palestinians received more money in aid and support than all of Europe did during the Marshall Plan. Gaza received billions in aid and rather than construct a functional state, they used it to make war on Israel and commit horrible atrocities in the October 7th attacks.

The Israelis built their land through common cause, a fully invested population, and democratic values since its founding in 1948. They are the emergent power in the Middle East. It is the only country in the Middle East that shares our values and provides more rights for all minorities and religions than any other country in that region. Palestinian leaders have held their people in subjugation for decades. They refused different paths to peace proposed by both Democratic and Republican Presidents.

The U.S. needs to work with all countries in the area and let the Israelis and Palestinians determine their own destiny.