Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

Grace Williams

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Grace Williams

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Southern California, 1997

Graduate

University of La Verne, 2010

Military

Years of service

2003 - 2011

Personal
Religion
Christian
Profession
Community and economic development
Contact

Campaign website

Personal LinkedIn

Grace Williams (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 41st Congressional District. She lost in the primary on March 3, 2020.

Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Grace Williams earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California in May 1997 and a graduate degree from the University of La Verne in May 2010. Her professional experience includes working in community and economic development. Williams served in the United States Army from 2003 to 2011.[1]

Elections

2020

See also: California's 41st Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 41

Incumbent Mark Takano defeated Aja Smith in the general election for U.S. House California District 41 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mark Takano
Mark Takano (D)
 
64.0
 
168,126
Image of Aja Smith
Aja Smith (R) Candidate Connection
 
36.0
 
94,447

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 262,573
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 41

Incumbent Mark Takano and Aja Smith defeated Grace Williams and Anza Akram in the primary for U.S. House California District 41 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mark Takano
Mark Takano (D)
 
50.8
 
58,723
✔
Image of Aja Smith
Aja Smith (R) Candidate Connection
 
33.0
 
38,231
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Grace Williams (D) Candidate Connection
 
16.2
 
18,731
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Anza Akram (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 115,687
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released 2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Grace Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm a US Army Veteran, a second generation immigrant, working mom and a small business owner. A resident of Perris, I previously worked for the City as their Director of Planning & Economic Development where I oversaw the Planning and Economic Development Departments, the Housing Authority and grants. Prior to that, I was the Economic & Community Development Manager for the March Joint Powers Authority where I oversaw the development of new businesses around the March Air Reserve Base and managed Foreign Trade Zone #244 which covers over 400 square miles of properties in Riverside County. I have more than 20 years of experience in community and economic development. I've successfully brought in more than $25 million of public funding for infrastructure projects and workforce training to District 41. I hold a Doctorate in Policy, Planning & Development from USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy; a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership & Management from the University of La Verne; and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern California in Urban/Regional Planning with an emphasis in Civil Engineering.
  • I'll create strong career opportunities for youth, veterans, disabled and displaced workers.
  • I'll increase federal funds for affordable housing and homeless services.
  • I'll increase federal funds for non-profits for needed social services.
I am passionate about policies that help people out of poverty that include strong education and vocational programs, housing programs and mental health support services.
I look up to Oprah Winfrey because of her life story and the inspiration she's become for so many in the world. Her ability to help others live their best lives is something I aspire to do in creating policies that will help Americans enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to the fullest.
"Becoming" by Michelle Obama.
The most important characteristics for elected officials to have include commitment and follow-through on promises which show integrity; excellent customer service skills; excellent listening skills; results oriented; visionary; and transformational leadership.
I am a visionary, a problem solver and a team player. I believe in the power of public-private partnerships and I have the ability to work across the aisle politically, and with private and public organizations to create jobs and economic development opportunities. I am mission oriented and believe that District 41 deserves stronger representation than what we've had in the past six years for our schools, our communities and veterans. I am a military veteran that understands firsthand the services we need to improve support for our veterans on the ground level.
US Congressional Representatives must:

1. Be an extension of District residents' voices in Washington DC and represent local interests federally.

2. Deliver federal resources locally to address local issues like homelessness, education, healthcare and veteran services.

3. Work across political aisles to create opportunities for District residents.

4. Ensure that federal policies meet the needs of American people.

5. Fight against discriminatory laws and practices.

I have a vision of making District 41 a hub for technical and trade skills and grow vocational training in our public schools, support Aerospace & Defense manufacturing, and be a leader in automation and clean/green technologies.
At 15 years old my family and I lost our home in a hurricane and we were homeless for nearly two years. That event changed my life. High school teachers that saw potential in me invested time and resources in my education. Because of that experience I have an inherent passion for helping people out of poverty and for public service.
I worked as a student employee in a restaurant at the University of Southern California during my first year of college.
"Becoming" by Michelle Obama is inspirational.
Wonder Woman
We Will Rock You by Queen
The US House of Representatives determines whether or not the American people can have access to opportunities for quality lives or advancements in economic and social issues. No other institution has the type of influence over people's livelihoods than Congress.
No, but I do believe that representatives should have experience in making a difference in their local communities.
The biggest challenge for our nation is the hyper-partisanship in Washington DC and as long as federal leaders spend significant time focused on dividing the country along party lines, our nation will not make significant advancements in social justice issues.
1. Education and Labor

2. Veterans' Affairs

3. Science, Space and Technology

4. Small Business

5. Transportation and Infrastructure

6. Armed services

No I do not believe that 2 years is the right term length for representatives. We need 4 years per term for Representatives with no more than 8 years of service like the Presidential seat.
We need term limits in Congress to ensure that Representatives are always working for the American people first and foremost. Like the Presidential seat, we need 4 year terms with no more than 8 years of service for US House of Representatives and six year terms with no more than 12 years of service for Senators.
I met a high school senior named Rosa when I volunteered on a mock job interview panel for a local high school in 2018. She was the most prepared interviewee I met and during an impromptu question on her personal life she revealed that she was raped at 8 years old and was motivated to succeed in a career to protect her younger sisters. Her story reinforced in me the need to fight for strong career focused programs in our public schools and to expand funding for non-profits that provide the best support services for our kids in and out of their schools.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
What's on the ballot?
U.S. President
U.S. Congress
U.S. Congress special elections
State executives
State legislatures
State courts
Ballot measures
Municipal government
School boards
Election analysis hub

Government

Seal of California.png
Who represents me?
U.S. Congress
State executives
State legislators
State courts
Ballot measures
Municipal government
School boards

Newsletters

Ballotpedia RSS.jpg
Coronavirus Weekly Updates
Documenting America's Path to Recovery
The Heart of the Primaries
The Daily Brew
The Weekly Brew
The Ballot Bulletin
Checks and Balances
Economy and Society
Hall Pass
Number of the Day
Robe & Gavel
Union Station


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 18, 2020


California's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Alex Padilla (D)
Adam Schiff (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Ami Bera (D)
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Adam Gray (D)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Ro Khanna (D)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Jim Costa (D)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Raul Ruiz (D)
District 26
District 27
District 28
Judy Chu (D)
District 29
Luz Rivas (D)
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
Ted Lieu (D)
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Young Kim (R)
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
Dave Min (D)
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
Democratic Party (45)
Republican Party (9)


Flag of California
v • e
State of California
Sacramento (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Grace_Williams&oldid=9755175"