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Running for Congress is not something he needs to do. But Williams, a Sennett Republican, told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» he could not remain on the sidelines. 

"I'm concerned enough that, frankly, we're going to make a lot of sacrifices so that I can run," he said after launching his campaign for the 22nd Congressional District seat. "I just can't sit by and see what's happening to our country. I think people are starting to wake up and say 'Wow, we may be in trouble.'" 

Williams was born and raised in Dallas, attended Pepperdine University and after a year of studies at Harvard, he decided to join the U.S. Navy. He volunteered for nuclear submarine duty in 1990 during the lead-up to the Gulf War. He and his wife decided to settle in Cayuga County — they live in the town of Sennett — after his sister-in-law, along with her husband, moved to central New York. 

One reason Williams and his wife chose Cayuga County is a desire to start a specialty foods farm. In 2010, they planted 2,300 hazelnut trees to cultivate Burgundy truffles. The farm remains in operation. 

Williams balances his farm duties with his day job overseeing business development and marketing for the software company he co-founded. The company, CPLANE.ai, is based in California and develops software to assist industrial manufacturers modernize their production systems, he said. 

As a candidate for Congress, he has prioritized three issues: freedom, prosperity and public safety. 

On freedom, he criticized Democrats for using the COVID-19 pandemic to "drive through mandates that were meant to reinforce the fear." Generally, he believes the government has taken too many rights away from its citizens and that censorship is "very alarming." 

To address prosperity, he wants to support entrepreneurship, assist small and medium-sized businesses and focus on education. 

"The long-term competitiveness and generational prosperity of this area really depend on the quality of the people that live here," Williams said. "That is from education. It's the best thing we can do." He added that education must be free from "leftist indoctrination." 

A self-described fiscal conservative, he believes the government is spending too much money and adopted policies that are driving inflation. Specifically, he pointed to energy policies he says led to an increase in energy prices. 

Public safety is also a priority for Williams. 

"Prosperity and freedom are meaningless if you can't go out on the streets, if you can't be safe in your neighborhoods," he said. "We need to re-fund the police and enforce the law. The woke policies of Los Angeles and Seattle and New York, they don't have any place in central New York communities. I think that's driving a lot of violent crime. It's not like this is a right or left issue. This is hurting all of us." 

As he campaigns for the 22nd district seat, the first hurdle for Williams will be the June 28 primary election. While he has the backing of Conservative Party committees in the eight-county district, there are two other Republicans in the race. Tim Ko, of DeWitt, and Mike Sigler, a Tompkins County legislator and chairman of the county's Republican committee, are vying for the GOP nod. 

Sigler will likely be Williams' main competition for the Republican nomination. Sigler has been endorsed by the Cayuga County Republican Committee. 

If Williams can win the primary, he will face an uphill battle in the general election. Democrats have a large enrollment advantage in the newly drawn district and the Democratic nominee will be favored to win in November. 

But that won't deter Williams. With crime and inflation among the issues in the race, he thinks voters are looking for leadership "that's different than the political class that's got us here."

"I really do believe that I can be that face and that voice and also the person who listens and understands those things," he said. "I believe we can do something about it."