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Craig Williams (Pennsylvania politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Wendell Craig Williams)

Craig Williams
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 160th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2021
Preceded byStephen Barrar
Personal details
Born
Selma, Alabama, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseJennifer
Children4
EducationDuke University (BA)
University of Florida (JD (High Honors))
Columbia University (LLM (High Honors))
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
RankColonel

Wendell Craig Williams is a former federal prosecutor, member of the United States Marine Corps, and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 160th district.

Williams served as second lieutenant during the Persian Gulf War. He was later promoted to colonel in the United States Marine Corps.[citation needed]

Education

[edit]

Williams received his bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1987, his J.D. degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1997 and his master's degree from Columbia University in 2001.[1]

Career

[edit]

Marines

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In 1987, Williams was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he flew 56 combat missions in the F/A-18D Hornet. In 1997, he became a Marine Judge Advocate and commanded law units at Marine Base Camp Pendleton, California. He left active duty in 2000 and joined the Marine Corps Reserves. In 2005, he was mobilized to active duty to serve as deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was later selected for promotion to the rank of colonel in the Marine Corps.[citation needed]

[edit]
Williams with former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge

Williams worked as Assistant General Counsel for PECO[2], as a federal prosecutor, and served on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. During active duty, he served as deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He clerked with the Honorable J.L. Edmondson, the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Williams has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Colorado and Pennsylvania, and worked under former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers and General Peter Pace.

2008 congressional campaign

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Williams announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district[3] on January 16, 2008.[4] He was endorsed by several high-profile organizations,[5] including The Philadelphia Inquirer.[6] He also received endorsements from, among others, vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin,[7] Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, all of whom also campaigned for Williams.[8][9] His campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, losing to the incumbent Joe Sestak.[10]

2020 House of Representatives campaign

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Williams was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2020. Since being in office, Williams has brought his experience from the Marine Corp, the U.S Attorney's Office, and PECO to the General Assembly in Harrisburg. Over the last 6 years he has fought tirelessly to promote safety throughout Delaware and Philadelphia counties with his Project Safety Neighborhoods (PSN)[11] in 2021, bringing the initial $1.5 million in state funding for the initiative and then another $3 million in the 2024-25 state budget, securing funding for additional local assistant district attorneys specifically to combat prior-convicted felons in gun possession cases.

In March 2026, Williams proposed the Pennsylvania Ratepayer Protection Act, which requires hyper-scale centers to construct or contract their own new electricity generation sources rather than drawing power from the existing local supply intended for residential and small business consumers.[12] Additionally, it would implement Power Pricing Parity, which would require local utilities to enter into long-term purchase agreements now, before hyper-scale data centers buy more power available to consumers in the electricity market. This puts ratepayers on equal footing in the marketplace keeping consumer prices for electricity from spiking due to data center construction.

2024 attorney general election

[edit]

In November 2023, Williams announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2024 Pennsylvania attorney general election. He was refused endorsements from both the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and the Pennsylvania Republican Party, who both endorsed York County District Attorney Dave Sunday instead. The snubs came after Williams boasted before entering the race that he would earn the RAGA endorsement. He subsequently bucked party support, claiming the endorsements were the work of "Harrisburg insiders" propping up Sunday,[13][14] "a[n] inactive prosecutor who is as progressive as Larry Krasner in Philadelphia".[15] Williams lost to Sunday 70-30.[16]

Electoral history

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  • 2008 race for Congress
    • Joe Sestak (D) (inc.), 59.6%
    • Wendell Craig Williams (R), 40.4%

Personal life

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Williams lives in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Jennifer Arbittier Williams, an assistant United States attorney,[17] and their four children: Emma, Clayton, Cole, and Charlotte.

References

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  1. ↑ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
  2. ↑ "Pa. election 2024: Who is Craig Williams, a Republican running for Pa. attorney general?". WHYY. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  3. ↑ map
  4. ↑ Delco GOP picks Gulf vet to face Sestak
  5. ↑ Craig Williams endorsements Archived November 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Craig endorsed by The Philadelphia Inquirer Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Craig and Palin
  8. ↑ "Tom Ridge endorses Williams". Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  9. ↑ Rudy and Craig Archived November 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Sestak Vs. Williams Archived December 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Williams Secures $3 Million in Funding for Project Safe Neighborhoods Program | PA State Rep. Craig Williams". www.repcraigwilliams.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  12. ↑ Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "House Co-Sponsorship Memo 48253 Information; 2025-2026 Regular Session - PA House of Representatives". House Co-Sponsorship Memo 48253 Information; 2025-2026 Regular Session - PA House of Representatives. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  13. ↑ McGoldrick, Gillian (November 30, 2023). "GOP state Rep. Craig Williams, who helped impeach Larry Krasner, is running for Pa. attorney general". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ McGoldrick, Gillian (January 22, 2024). "Pennsylvania GOP endorses York County DA for attorney general". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  15. ↑ Owens, Dennis; Weaver, Jared (February 28, 2024). "Dave Sunday, Craig Williams to square off in Pennsylvania Attorney General Republican debate". abc27 WHTM. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Dave Sunday wins Republican primary in attorney general race". WTAE-TV. Hearst Television Inc. April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Jennifer Arbittier Williams". August 3, 2012.
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