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Roger Williams (Texas politician)

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Roger Williams
Chair of the House Small Business Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byNydia Velázquez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 25th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byLloyd Doggett
105th Secretary of State of Texas
In office
February 8, 2005 – July 1, 2007
GovernorRick Perry
Preceded byGeoff Connor
Succeeded byPhil Wilson
Personal details
Born
John Roger Williams

(1949-09-13) September 13, 1949 (age 75)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePatty Williams
Children2
EducationTexas Christian University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website
Roger Williams's voice
Roger Williams recognizes the 110th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth, Texas
Recorded May 23, 2023

John Roger Williams (born September 13, 1949) is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Texas's 25th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he served under Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of State of Texas from 2004 to 2007.

Early life, education, and business career

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Williams was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1949[1] and raised in Fort Worth. He played college baseball for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (TCU) from 1968 to 1971 and was selected in the 25th round of the 1971 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, playing in the farm system and reaching the Class A Western Carolinas League.[2] He coached TCU's baseball team. Williams inherited the family's automobile dealership from his father, who founded the business in 1939.[3]

Early political career

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Williams began his political career as a fundraiser for Governor George W. Bush in his 1994 and 1998 elections. He became North Texas Chairman for the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign, North Texas Finance Chairman in 2004, and National Grassroots Fundraising Chairman for the 2004 campaign.[citation needed]

Governor Rick Perry appointed Williams to be his fourth Secretary of State of Texas in 2004.[4]

On June 11, 2007, Williams announced that he would resign as secretary of state, and late in 2008 he formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for the United States Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, who had formed her own committee to consider a 2010 race for governor of Texas. Williams considered a run for Senate in 2012 but decided to run for the House of Representatives instead.[5]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2012

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See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 25

In June 2011, Williams announced that he was dropping his Senate bid to instead run for Texas's 25th congressional district.[5][6] The district was a newly drawn district stretching from central Austin to Burleson. Congressional district 25 has been cited as one of Texas's most gerrymandered districts.[7][8] Williams began residing in the district the year of the election.

Williams ranked first with 25% of the vote and qualified for a runoff election. Wes Riddle ranked second with 15%.[9] In the July 31 runoff, Williams defeated Riddle, 58% to 42%.[10] In the November general election, Williams defeated Democratic nominee Elaine Henderson, 58%–37%.[11]

2014

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See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 25

In the November 4 general election, Williams defeated Democrat Marco Montoya and Libertarian John Betz, receiving 107,120 votes (60.22%) to Montoya's 64,463 (36.24%) and Betz's 6,300 (3.54%).[12] Williams unsuccessfully challenged National Republican Congressional Committee chair Greg Walden of Oregon in Walden's bid for reelection as chair after the election.[13]

2016

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See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 25

Williams won his third term in the House on November 8, when Donald Trump carried the electoral vote majority over Hillary Rodham Clinton. Williams polled 180,988 votes (58.4%) to Democratic nominee Kathi Thomas's 117,073 (37.7%). Libertarian Loren Marc Schneiderman received 12,135 votes (3.9%).[14]

2018

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See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 25

Williams won his fourth term in the House in the general election on November 6. With 162,288 votes (53.6%), he defeated Democratic nominee Julie Oliver, who polled 135,288 (44.7%). Another 5,124 (1.7%) went to the Libertarian Party nominee, Desarae Lindsey.[15]

2020

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See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 25

Williams was reelected with 56% of the vote to Democratic nominee Julie Oliver's 42%. Libertarian nominee Bill Kelsey won 2% of the vote.[16]

Tenure

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In 2015, Williams condemned the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.[17]

Williams supported Trump's 2017 executive order imposing a ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, calling it a "commonsense" measure and saying that opponents "are lost in the political correctness of this."[18]

In October 2020, The Houston Chronicle reported that Williams had tried to help a donor in his dealings with a publicly traded bank.[19]

2016 House ethics review

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On May 3, 2016, the House Ethics Committee initiated an investigation into Williams after he inserted a provision into a $300 billion transportation funding bill, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, that exempted some car dealerships like his from a proposal to prevent rental car companies from renting out vehicles that were subject to safety recalls.[20] The legislation was spurred by the deaths of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck,[21] who were killed in 2004 while driving a rented, recalled vehicle that caught fire and crashed into a semi.[22] The investigation's focus was a provision Williams authored that would have exempted dealerships like his and allowed renting vehicles under active safety recall.[23][24] The independent nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics found that Williams violated House ethics rules, noting that he refused to cooperate; by unanimous, bipartisan vote the OCE found that "there is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Williams' personal financial interest in his auto dealership may be perceived as having influenced his performance of official duties—namely, his decision to offer an amendment to the surface transportation legislation".[25] The House Ethics committee determined that the amendment "could have affected Representative Williams' personal financial interests" but decided to end the investigation and took no further action.[26][27]

COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loan

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams's Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership in Weatherford, Texas, received a loan of between $1 million and $2 million as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP);[28][29] the loan was later forgiven.[30][31]

U.S. Representative Katie Porter later introduced legislation that would require all loans under the PPP to be made public.[32][33] The Washington Post highlighted March 2020 comments by Williams in The Epoch Times, where he said, "A socialist wants you to get a check from the government...a capitalist wants you to get a check from the place that you work."[34]

Williams voted against the TRUTH Act (H.R. 6782), a bill that would have required public disclosure of companies that received funds through the bailout program.[35][36][37][38]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

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In December 2020, Williams was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump.[39] The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[40][41][42]

Financial disclosures

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In September 2021, nonprofit group Campaign Legal Center filed an ethics complaint against Williams with the Office of Congressional Ethics, claiming that Williams appeared to have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law, by failing to properly disclose sales of stock in General Electric, Nvidia, and The Walt Disney Co. worth between $3,003 and $45,000 made by his wife in 2019.[43]

Committee assignments

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Caucus membership

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Personal life

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Williams and his wife Patty live in Weatherford, the seat of Parker County, and have two daughters. He owns an automobile dealership in Weatherford that he inherited.[3] With a net worth of $27.7 million, Williams was listed as the 22nd wealthiest member of Congress in 2018.[46]

Williams is a trustee of TCU and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station.[citation needed]

Williams is the coach of the Republican team for the Congressional Baseball Game.[47] On June 14, 2017, he was present during a shooting attack on a practice for the game. He was taken from the area on a stretcher due to an ankle injury he suffered while jumping into the dugout during the attack.[48][49] A member of his staff was shot and taken to the hospital, where he was treated for a leg injury and released.[50][47]

Williams has shaken the hand of every President since Harry S. Truman.[51]

Williams is Protestant.[52]

References

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  1. ^ Cooper, Kent (August 11, 2014). "Roger Williams (Texas-25)". Roll Call. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "Roger Williams Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "3 Austinites are among the wealthiest members of Congress". Austin American-Statesman. September 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "GOP fund-raiser is new Texas secretary of state". Associated Press. November 18, 2004.
  5. ^ a b Slater, Wayne (June 28, 2011). "Roger Williams switches from Senate to House race". Trailblazers Blog. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  6. ^ Alex. "Roger Williams for Congress". Rogerforcongress.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  7. ^ Ramirez, Fernando (October 31, 2018). "Ranking Texas' most gerrymandered districts".
  8. ^ Jacobson, Louis (August 16, 2018). "PolitiFact Fact Check: 'Texas is one of the most gerrymandered states in the union.'".
  9. ^ "Ourcampaigns.com". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  10. ^ "Ourcampaigns.com". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  11. ^ "Ourcampaigns.com". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  12. ^ "2014 Statewide General Election Results". Texas Secretary of State.
  13. ^ Center, Shira. "Roger Williams Makes Play for NRCC Chairman". www.rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "Election Results". Texas Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  15. ^ "Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "Texas Election Results: 25th Congressional District". The New York Times. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  18. ^ Blake, Aaron (January 31, 2017). "Whip Count: Here's where Republicans stand on Trump's controversial travel ban". Washington Post.
  19. ^ "Texas Congressman Roger Williams pressured a bank to help out a top donor, records show". The Houston Chronicle. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Walsh, Sean (September 15, 2016). "Rep. Roger Williams ethics probe continues". Austin American-Statesman.
  21. ^ Kreider, Randy (June 1, 2016). "Years After Tragedy, Mother Claims Victory in New Rental Car Protections". ABC News.
  22. ^ Wire, Sarah (December 21, 2015). "One mother spent a decade after daughters' deaths changing car-rental laws". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ^ Wire, Sarah (December 21, 2015). "Roger Williams was probed by ethics office targeted by Republicans". Austin American-Statesman.
  24. ^ Dunbar, John (June 28, 2016). "CAR DEALER-CONGRESSMAN SUBJECT OF ETHICS PROBE". Center for Public Integrity.
  25. ^ Brooks, Susan (August 11, 2016). "OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Roger Williams". 115th Congress, 1st Session, US House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
  26. ^ Brooks, Susan (August 1, 2017). "In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Roger Williams" (PDF). 115th Congress, 1st Session, US House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
  27. ^ Kleiner, Sarah (August 1, 2017). "HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE SCOLDS, DOESN'T PUNISH ROGER WILLIAMS". Center for Public Integrity.
  28. ^ Price, Asher (May 8, 2020). "Austin congressman gets federal bailout money for car dealership". Austin American-Statesman.
  29. ^ Benning, Tom (July 7, 2020). "In Texas, federal PPP loans went to a U.S. House campaign, Senate hopeful's law firm and lieutenant gov's radio stations". Dallas News. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  30. ^ Sus, Nikhel (July 7, 2020). "Businesses linked to members of Congress who opposed PPP transparency got PPP loans". CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  31. ^ Benning, Tom (May 1, 2020). "Car dealership owned by Texas Rep. Roger Williams received loan through coronavirus relief fund for small businesses". Dallas News. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  32. ^ Porter, Katie (May 14, 2020). "Rep. Porter Introduces Bill to Increase Accountability for Small Business Relief Loans". U.S. Representative Katie Porter. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  33. ^ Porter, Katie (May 12, 2020). "PPP loan grift is still happening. Congress must open the books — or corporate greed wins again". NBC News. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  34. ^ Hamburger, Tom; Gregg, Aaron; Narayanswamy, Anu (July 8, 2020). "After railing against federal spending, GOP lawmakers, conservative groups benefit from government aid program". Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  35. ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 113". clerk.house.gov. May 28, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  36. ^ "Bill Summary HR 6782". clerk.house.gov. May 28, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  37. ^ Ferris, Sarah; Zanoma, Melanie; Warmbrodt, Zachary (June 16, 2020). "Members of Congress took small-business loans — and the full extent is unknown". Politico. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  38. ^ Solender, Andrew (June 17, 2020). "At Least Four Members Of Congress Personally Benefited From PPP Loans: Report". Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  39. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  40. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  41. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  42. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  43. ^ Walsh, Deirdre (September 23, 2021). "Outside Ethics Group Says 7 House Lawmakers Didn't Disclose Stock Trades". NPR. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  44. ^ "Meet Chairman Roger Williams | House Committee on Small Business".
  45. ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  46. ^ "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  47. ^ a b Hamedy, Saba (June 15, 2017). "Congressional baseball practice shooting: What we know about the victims". CNN. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  48. ^ "Steve Scalise shot in Virginia, aides also hit". Fox News. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  49. ^ "Congressman Steve Scalise and others shot at Alexandria, Virginia, park". NBC News. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  50. ^ Tilove, Jonathan (June 14, 2017). "Roger Williams' staffer among those shot at GOP baseball practice". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  51. ^ "This congressman was one of the last people to see JFK alive. 60 years later, he looks back". NBC News. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  52. ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Texas
2005–2007 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 25th congressional district
2013–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chair of the House Small Business Committee
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
145th 		Succeeded by
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