Michael E. Williams (Georgia)

Michael Williams

Republican Party

Prior offices

Georgia State Senate District 27

Successor: Greg Dolezal

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Elections and appointments

Last election

May 22, 2018

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Personal Twitter

Michael E. Williams is a former Republican member of the Georgia State Senate, representing District 27 from 2015 to 2019.

Williams was a 2018 Republican candidate for Governor of Georgia.

Committee assignments

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Williams served on the following committees:

Georgia committee assignments, 2015
• Ethics, Vice chair
• Finance
• Higher Education
• Public Safety

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2018

See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Georgia

Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams and Ted Metz in the general election for Governor of Georgia on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Kemp (R)	50.2	1,978,408
		Stacey Abrams (D)	48.8	1,923,685
		Ted Metz (L)	0.9	37,235

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,939,328 (100.00% precincts reporting)
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Larry Odom (Independent)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Governor of Georgia

Brian Kemp defeated Casey Cagle in the Republican primary runoff for Governor of Georgia on July 24, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Kemp	69.5	406,703
		Casey Cagle	30.5	178,893

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 585,596
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia

Stacey Abrams defeated Stacey Evans in the Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacey Abrams	76.4	424,305
		Stacey Evans	23.6	130,784

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 555,089
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Georgia

Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp advanced to a runoff. They defeated Hunter Hill, Clay Tippins, and Michael Williams in the Republican primary for Governor of Georgia on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Casey Cagle	39.0	236,987
✔		Brian Kemp	25.5	155,189
		Hunter Hill	18.3	111,464
		Clay Tippins	12.2	74,182
		Michael Williams	4.9	29,619

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 607,441
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Eddie Hayes (R)
• Marc Alan Urbach (R)

Endorsements

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the Republican primary

Republican candidate endorsements Endorsement Date Cagle Hill Kemp Tippins Williams National figures Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) May 18, 2018 ✔ Former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) May 18, 2018 ✔ Former U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) May 17, 2018 ✔ Former U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) May 16, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) May 7, 2018 ✔ Haley Barbour, former Mississippi governor and former RNC chairman March 8, 2018 ✔ Bob Barr, former U.S. representative from GA-07 and 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate August 25, 2017 ✔ State and local figures Former candidate Marc Alan Urbach May 2, 2018 ✔ Cobby County District Attorney Vic Reynolds April 13, 2018 ✔ State Rep. Allen Peake (R) March 8, 2018 ✔ State Rep. Susan Holmes (R) September 27, 2017 ✔ Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens (R) August 25, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Ron Stephens (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Jesse Stone (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Ellis Black (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Jack Hill (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Ben Watson (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Dewayne Hill (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Rep. John Deffenbaugh (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Sam Teasley Unknown ✔ State Rep. Michael Caldwell Unknown ✔ State Rep. Wes Cantrell Unknown ✔ Organizations Georgia Realtors April 11, 2018 ✔ National Rifle Association April 12, 2018 ✔ Educators First April 10, 2018 ✔ Media figures Barbara Dooley, Athens media figure August 25, 2017 ✔ Roger Stone, former advisor to Donald Trump August 11, 2017 ✔ Duane Chapman AKA Dog the Bounty Hunter July 4, 2017 ✔ Business figures Jim Brady, COO of Grant Thorton September 28, 2017 ✔

Campaign finance

Campaign finance reports
Candidate	Filing deadline	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Casey Cagle
	June 30, 2017	$2,659,061.92	$143,866.36	$2,515,195.56
	January 31, 2018	$4,111,046.90	$893,864.10	$5,732,378.36
	March 31, 2018	$20,206.50	$1,217,073.86	$4,535,511.00
Total	-	$6,790,315.32	$2,254,804.32	$4,535,511.00
Hunter Hill
	June 30, 2017	$1,148,529.59	$220,084.67	$928,444.92
	January 31, 2018	$1,110,632.05	$553,039.87	$1,486,037.10
	March 31, 2018	$442,891.90	$808,064.52	$1,120,864.48
Total	-	$2,702,053.54	$1,581,189.06	$1,120,864.48
Brian Kemp
	June 30, 2017	$1,710,592.00	$186,691.20	$1,523,900.80
	January 31, 2018	$1,174,546.48	$574,857.74	$2,123,589.54
	March 31, 2018	$34,970.26	$527,038.52	$1,631,521.28
Total	-	$2,920,108.74	$1,288,587.46	$1,631,521.28
Clay Tippins
	January 31, 2018	$2,139,341.28	$413,252.35	$1,726,088.93
	March 31, 2018	$405,177.00	$539,747.10	$1,591,518.83
Total	-	$2,544,518.28	$952,999.45	$1,591,518.83
Michael Williams
	June 30, 2017	$1,051,831.12	$107,806.65	$944,024.47
	January 31, 2018	$729,671.29	$330,948.55	$1,342,747.21
	March 31, 2018	$4,501.45	$78,430.43	$1,268,818.23
Total	-	$1,786,003.86	$517,185.63	$1,268,818.23

Polls

Georgia Governor, Republican Primary 2018
Poll	Casey Cagle	Brian Kemp	Hunter Hill	Michael Williams	Clay Tippins	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Fox 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy (May 15-16)	31%	20%	14%	5%	12%	15%	+/-4.3	515
11Alive/SurveyUSA (May 10-15)	35%	17%	10%	3%	8%	27%	+/-5.1	558
University of Georgia (April 19-26)	41%	10%	9%	3%	4%	33%	+/-4.4	507
Clarion Research (paid for by Hill campaign) (March 2-3)	33%	9%	17%	3%	3%	36%	+/-4.5	547
Meeting Street Research on behalf of the pro-Cagle Citizens for Georgia’s Future (March 1-4)	38%	10%	10%	2%	3%	35%	+/-4.38	500
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy (February 2018)	27%	13%	11%	5%	12%	31%	+/-4.5	500
The Wickers Group (Ocotber 21-24, 2017)	34%	13%	1%	1%	0%	48%	+/-4.5	400
Landmark Communications/RosettaStone (October 16-17, 2017)	35%	7%	9%	4%	1%	44%	+/-3.5	800
McLaughlin & Associates (September 28 - October 1, 2017)	41%	12%	4%	3%	2%	39%	+/-4.0	600
AVERAGES	35%	12.33%	9.44%	3.22%	5%	34.22%	+/-4.35	547.44
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2016

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Georgia State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 24, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 11, 2016.

Incumbent Michael E. Williams defeated Daniel Blackman in the Georgia State Senate District 27 general election.

Georgia State Senate, District 27 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael E. Williams Incumbent	78.46%	73,417
	Democratic	Daniel Blackman	21.54%	20,153
Total Votes				93,570
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

Daniel Blackman ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 27 Democratic primary.

Georgia State Senate, District 27 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Daniel Blackman  (unopposed)

Incumbent Michael E. Williams ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 27 Republican primary.

Georgia State Senate, District 27 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Michael E. Williams Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Georgia State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014, with a runoff election taking place where necessary on July 22, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Incumbent Jack S. Murphy and Michael E. Williams advanced past John T. "Jack" Schiff and Lauren W. McDonald III in the Republican primary. Williams defeated Murphy in a runoff election on July 22, 2014, and was unchallenged in the general election. Schiff filed to run but did not appear on the official primary returns.

Georgia State Senate, District 27 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jack S. Murphy Incumbent	37.4%	6,979
Michael E. Williams	34.4%	6,403
Lauren W. McDonald III	28.2%	5,255
Total Votes		18,637

Georgia State Senate, District 27 Runoff Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael E. Williams	66.2%	10,800
Jack S. Murphy Incumbent	33.8%	5,521
Total Votes		16,321

Campaign themes

2018

Williams' campaign website stated the following:

“	Return To Republican Principles Georgia has had a Republican Governor for almost 16 years with a Republican controlled House and Senate for over a decade. Yet we have not passed basic conservative legislation. We have yet to pass Tax Reform, School Choice legislation, Constitutional Carry, Spending Cuts, and many other bedrocks of the Republican Party. This will end under Governor Williams – more results, less talk. No excuses! The Georgia FairTax Eliminate the state income tax and replace it with state sales tax similar to what they have in Florida. Gun Rights: Constitutional Carry Ensure this important legislation is signed into law. This will further protect our second amendment rights. Term Limits Implement term limits for all statewide elected offices. Currently, the Governor is the only term limited office in the state. Our current Lt. Governor has held this office for 12-years. Religious Freedom Georgia has tried for several years to pass religious freedom legislation. Mr. Williams will bring all the stakeholders together in order to pass and sign this legislation into law. Power Of The Veto The ability to veto legislation is one of the most powerful options available to the Governor. Too often, vetoes have been used to block conservative legislation. Michael Williams will use the threat of veto to ensure liberal legislation is not pushed on Georgia citizens. If legislators do not pass a budget with spending reductions recommended by the Governor, it will be vetoed. 100% Pro-Life Protect innocent life from conception until natural death. No Sanctuary Cities Stop liberal cities from implementing this dangerous policy. Agriculture: Reduce Regulations Work with the Trump administration to reduce federal regulations that are burdening our farmers. We have a unique opportunity to see great improvements in this area. Law & Order: Law Enforcement Pay Raise Georgia law enforcement officers are some of the lowest paid in the nation. Mr. Williams teamed up with Duane “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman to bring attention to his legislation to increase the minimum salary for all officers. As Governor, Michael Williams will ensure this becomes law. School Choice Grow our school voucher programs and provide additional ways to put parents in charge of their children’s education. Children born in communities with under performing schools should have options. This also increases competition among schools, ultimately improving the quality of education. Freeze College Tuition Rates Tuition rates at our state colleges have soared out of control for years. We are at an all-time high yet students are not receiving additional benefits. Improve Homeschooling Laws Allow home-schooled students access to school athletic programs and facilities. This has been successfully implemented in Florida and can be done here. Home-school parents pay the same school taxes as everyone else and should receive equal services. Get Serious About Illegal Immigration Implement the 287(g) Deportation Program statewide. Counties that refuse to comply will lose state funding. Without 287(g), we have no way of knowing when illegals are committing crimes and being sent back into our communities. If we are going to get serious about this problem, we need 287(g). Stone Mountain & Historical Monuments One of my Democrat opponents, Stacey Abrams, has called for the defacing of Stone Mountain and the removal of other confederate memorials and statues. What’s next? Blowing up the Jefferson Memorial or knocking down the Washington Monument? Where does this end? Democrats and the media love drumming up issues like this. It boosts ratings and stirs up racial divide. Let me make myself clear: I do not support defacing Stone Mountain or any of our monuments and I do not support rewriting Georgia’s history. All Georgians should reject attempts by the media and my Democrat opponent to incite racial division in this campaign. I will be a governor for all Georgians. It’s time to unite and heal as a nation. Medical Cannabis and In-State Cultivation The fight for medical cannabis oil expansion is extremely personal. My father was a Vietnam War veteran diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder, and would have likely also been diagnosed with PTSD in today’s world. Sadly, when I was 14-years-old, he took his own life. The pain of losing a father to suicide is unbearable. Today, 22 veterans with PTSD will commit suicide. Tomorrow, another 22. PTSD is one of many life threatening conditions that should be eligible for medical cannabis oil. Georgia’s medical marijuana laws are inadequate at best and criminal at worst. Federal law bars transportation of marijuana across state lines, yet Georgia law prohibits in-state cultivation and distribution. See the problem? Legalized in-state cultivation and distribution will ensure safe access for suffering patients. We need to get the government out of the doctor’s office. Medical experts agree that cannabis oil is life-saving and improves quality of life for those in need, yet politicians use it to further their own political agendas. It is time we put Georgians first and ignore squabbling lobbyists and special interest groups. We have a wide gap in our laws that I pledge to fill with common sense legislation. Georgia will have heavily regulated in-state cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana and an expanded list of eligible conditions when I am governor.	”
—Michael William's campaign website (2018)

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Michael Williams campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2016	Georgia State Senate, District 27	Won	$102,999	N/A**
2014	Georgia State Senate, District 27	Won	$324,515	N/A**
Grand total			$427,514	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections 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.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Georgia

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Georgia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2018

In 2018, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 29.

• Faith and Freedom Coalition of Georgia: House and Senate

Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.

• Georgia Center for Opportunity

Legislators are scored on their votes on children's education.

• Georgia Chamber of Commerce

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through March 31. Americans for Prosperity Georgia Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues. Faith and Freedom Coalition of Georgia: House and Senate Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues. Georgia Center for Opportunity Legislators are scored on their votes on children's education. Georgia Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Georgia Environment Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 11 through March 24. Americans for Prosperity Georgia Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues. Georgia Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].
In 2015, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Noteworthy events

Probation sentence on insurance fraud charges (2019)

See also: Noteworthy criminal misconduct in American politics (2017-2018)

In May 2019, Williams was sentenced to five years of probation each for the charges of insurance fraud and false statements and 12 months of probation for the false report of a crime charge. Superior Court Judge Clint Bearden made the sentences run concurrently, resulting in Williams needing to serve five years of probation total. Bearden also gave Williams a $5,000 fine and 120 hours of community service.

On December 18, 2018, Hall County authorities charged Williams with insurance fraud, making a false statement, and false report of a crime. The charges related to a burglary that Williams reported in May 2018. Williams said $300,000 worth of computer servers were stolen from his campaign office. He was accused of lying to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent.

In January 2019, Williams pleaded not guilty to the charges.

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016

Michael E. Williams
Republican National Convention, 2016
Status:	At-large delegate
State:	Georgia
Bound to:	Unknown
Delegates to the RNC 2016
Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state

Williams was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Georgia. In the Georgia Republican primary election on March 1, 2016, Donald Trump won 42 delegates, Marco Rubio won 16, and Ted Cruz won 18. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Williams was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Georgia’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Georgia, 2016 and Republican delegates from Georgia, 2016

Delegates from Georgia to the Republican National Convention were elected at district conventions and the state convention in June 2016. Delegates from Georgia were "bound" to the candidate to whom they were allocated through the first round of voting at the national convention unless their candidate withdrew from the race after the state primary election—in which case Georgia state law required those delegates to be "unpledged" at the national convention.

Georgia primary results

See also: Presidential election in Georgia, 2016

Georgia Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Donald Trump	38.8%	502,994	42
Marco Rubio	24.4%	316,836	16
Ted Cruz	23.6%	305,847	18
John Kasich	5.6%	72,508	0
Ben Carson	6.2%	80,723	0
Jeb Bush	0.6%	7,686	0
Chris Christie	0.1%	1,486	0
Carly Fiorina	0.1%	1,146	0
Lindsey Graham	0%	428	0
Mike Huckabee	0.2%	2,625	0
George Pataki	0%	236	0
Rand Paul	0.2%	2,910	0
Rick Santorum	0%	539	0
Totals		1,295,964	76
Source: Georgia Secretary of State and CNN

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Georgia had 76 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 42 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 14 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated proportionally; the highest vote-getter in a congressional district received two of that district's delegates, and the second highest vote-getter received the remaining delegate. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a given district, he or she won all three of that district's delegates.

Of the remaining 34 delegates, 31 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide vote in order to be eligible to win any of Georgia's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.

See also

• Governor of Georgia
• Georgia gubernatorial election, 2018
• Georgia State Legislature
• Georgia State Senate
• Georgia Senate Committees
• Georgia state legislative districts

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the governor
• Official campaign website
• Profile from Open States
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Michael Williams on Facebook

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jack Murphy (R)	Georgia State Senate - District 27 2015–2019	Succeeded by Greg Dolezal (R)