Phillip W. Williams Jr. (born March 20, 1965) is an American politician, radio show host and attorney from the state of Alabama. A member of the Republican Party, Williams served in the Alabama Senate from 2010 until 2018, representing the 10th district, encompassing Etowah County and parts of Cherokee County. Since leaving the state legislature, Williams has served as a policy director for the Alabama Policy Institute and hosts a conservative radio program, Rightside Radio.
Early life, education and military service
Williams was born in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey on March 20, 1965. He moved homes frequently as a member of a family with close ties to the United States Army. He attended Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, and, after graduation, went to the University of South Alabama. There, he was involved with the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and received an ROTC commission in 1987; he graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Science in 1989.
A graduate of both the Combined Arms and Service Staff School and the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Williams served part-time in the United States Army Reserve and was a part of several airborne units, as well as the 20th Special Forces Group, eventually attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. Following the September 11 attacks, Williams served two combat tours, one in Afghanistan in 2002 and one in Iraq in 2004. He later did a tour working in The Pentagon as a member of the Army Staff's Special Operations Division. Williams retired from military service in 2017.
Williams attended the Birmingham School of Law on the recommendation of a colleague, who hoped that Williams would work for him one day. To pay for law school, Williams invoked the G.I. Bill and took out a second mortgage, attending night classes while still working. He received his Juris Doctor in 2003.
Career
Law and ministry work
From 1993-1999, Williams served as an area director for Young Life, an Evangelical youth ministry organization. He was also the chief operating officer of TaxBreak in Gadsden, Alabama, as well as the managing partner and trial attorney for Brunson & Associates. Williams later pursued his own private law practice and founded Williams & Associates, a firm based in Gadsden, in 2011. The firm is now known as Williams, Driskill, Huffstutler and King LLC, and specializes in civil law.
Alabama Senate (2010–2018)
2010 election
In 2010, Williams, described by The Gadsden Times as a "political newcomer" at the time, ran for the Alabama Senate's 10th district as a Republican. The district included Williams' home county of Etowah County, as well as segments of Cherokee County. After defeating Paul Peloquin in the primary, Williams advanced to challenge incumbent Democratic state senator Larry Means in the general election, stating that he would "promote fiscal conservatism and limit government intervention in daily lives." According to Mike Hubbard, one state senator said that Means was so impressed with Williams, he would have voted for Williams were he not running against him. Williams met with politicians John Ross and J. T. Waggoner to discuss his campaign; with the assistance of a strategic team that included Hubbard (a future Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives) and consultant Tim Howe, Williams worked on finding ways to introduce himself to voters.
Williams' campaign received funding from state senator Del Marsh and, over time, increased Williams' name recognition with the district's voters. However, a commissioned poll during the general election showed that Williams was struggling to narrow the gap between himself and Means. As a result, Marsh told Williams that he was unable to continue funding the campaign, with other closer, higher-profile races on the line. A month before the general election, Means was indicted in a corruption case that alleged he was involved in "a vote-buying scheme to legalize electronic gambling in Alabama." The sudden negative attention drawn towards Means led Marsh to re-establish funding for Williams' campaign. Williams ultimately defeated Means and was elected to the state Senate. After the election, Means was acquitted of his corruption charges, and said that the indictment was a major factor in his loss to Williams.