Kent Williams, Tennessee Representative
Kent Williams (b. June 23, 1949) is a former Carter County Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 4 from 2006 to 2009. In February of 2009, he changed his party affiliation from Republican to Carter County Republican. He served as Speaker of the House from 2009 to 2011.
On August 29, 2013, Williams announced he would not run for re-election in 2014 and retire from the House.[1]
Biography
Williams graduated from Unaka High School in 1967. He has worked in the Engineering Department for the Tennessee Department of Transportation and as Restaurant Manager of Sizzler Family Steakhouses. From 1981 to 1991, he was Vice President of Operations for Family Steak Houses of Miami, Incorporated. Williams then worked as Vice President of Steak Houses of Homestead, Incorporated from 1991 to 1995. He has been the owner of Dinos Restaurant since 1995.[2]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Williams served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Business and Utilities |
| • State Government |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Williams served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Children & Family Affairs |
| • Commerce |
| • State & Local Government |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Williams served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Calendar and Rules |
| • Rules |
Elections
2012
Williams won re-election in the 2012 election for Tennessee House of Representatives, District 4. Williams defeated Thomas M. Gray, III (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[3][4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent |  Kent Williams Incumbent |
53.7% | 11,473 | |
| Republican | Thomas Gray III | 46.3% | 9,887 | |
| Total Votes | 21,360 | |||
2010
Williams was re-elected to the 4th District seat in 2010. He defeated Republican Jerome Cochran in the general election on November 2, 2010.[5]
| Tennessee House of Representatives, District 4 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Kent Williams (I)
|
7,937 | |||
| Jerome Cochran (R) | 5,899 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Williams won re-election to the 4th District Seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, defeating opponent Pricilla Steele (I).[6]
Williams raised $71,496 for his campaign while Steele raised $0.[7]
| Tennessee House of Representatives, District 4 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Kent Williams (R)
|
14,816 | |||
| Pricilla Steele (D) | 3,087 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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.
Scorecards
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 scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Tennessee General Assembly in 2013.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Tennessee Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes related to conservation and environmental issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Tennessee General Assembly in 2012.
- Tennessee Right to Life — Legislators were scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Tennessee General Assembly in 2011.
- Tennessee Conservation Voters — Legislators were scored on their votes relating to conservation and environmental issues.
- Tennessee Right to Life — Legislators were scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Williams and his wife, Gayle, have four children.[2]
Noteworthy events
Removal from Republican Party
On February 9, 2009, Williams was removed from the Republican Party by Tennessee Republican Party Chairwoman Robin Smith. Smith claimed that she would "no longer recognize Rep. Kent Williams as a Republican in good standing in the state of Tennessee."[8] Williams sided with 49 Democrats to become the Speaker of the House in January, which Smith found to be in violation of Republican Party bylaws, which require members to vote for Republican nominees. After his removal from the GOP, Williams found it appropriate to form the Carter County Republican Caucus, stating he was not comfortable siding with Democrats.[8]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Kent + Williams + Tennessee + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Tennessee State Legislature
- Tennessee House of Representatives
- Tennessee House of Representatives Committees
- Tennessee Joint Committees
- Tennessee state legislative districts
External links
- Tennessee Legislature - Representative Kent Williams
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006
- Tennessee Votes profile
Footnotes
- ↑ The Associated Press, "Former Speaker Williams to retire from Tenn. House," August 29, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart, "Kent Williams' Biography," accessed November 17, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2012 List of Candidates," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Department of State, "Election Results," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2010 Tennessee General election results," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2008 Tennessee General election results," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "General Election Results," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Timesnews.net, "Tennessee GOP ousts House Speaker Kent Williams from party," February 9, 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Tennessee House of Representatives District 4 2006–2014 |
Succeeded by John Holsclaw Jr. (R) |
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