Bauer served in President Ronald Reagan's administration for all eight years, as Under Secretary of Education and Chief Domestic Policy Advisor.

After leaving the Reagan White House, Bauer became President of the Family Research Council and a Senior Vice President of Focus on the Family.

Bauer took his pro-family, pro-life message across the country during the 2000 Republican presidential primaries and debates.

Bauer served as a Trump appointee to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Today, he serves as President of American Values, an educational non-profit public policy organization, and as Chairman of Campaign for Working Families PAC, which is dedicated to electing conservative candidates to Congress. Bauer also serves as Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

He is the co-host of the Bauer & Rose Podcast, featured on Just The News and the Sirius/XM Patriot channel.

In 1973, Bauer received his law degree from Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C. He is married to the former Carol Hoke, and lives in Virginia. Gary and Carol have three grown children.