Thomas David Williams, known as Tommy Williams (born December 17, 1956), is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

former member of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...

, who represented

District 4 District 4 can refer to: *District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany *District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia *District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam *District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States *IV District, Turku, in Finland *Aussersi ...

in The Woodlands in Montgomery County in the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Background

Williams was first elected to the

in 2002, after incumbent District 4 Senator David Bernsen, a Democrat, declined to seek re-election after redistricting changed the composition of the district. (Bernsen instead ran unsuccessfully for

Texas Land Commissioner The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is a state agency of the U.S. state of Texas, responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state. The GLO also manages and contributes to the state's Permanent School Fund. ...

, losing that race to

Jerry E. Patterson Jerry Emmett Patterson (born November 15, 1946) is an American politician who served as the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 2003 to 2015. A former state senator, he was the second Republican since Reconstruction to serve as la ...

.) After more than ten years in office, Williams, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, was in October 2013 in the process of resigning, to accept a government relations position at his alma mater,

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in College Station. On October 3, Williams confirmed that he would not run again in the Republican

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

scheduled for March 4, 2014. Williams previously served three terms from 1997 to 2003 in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

. Williams has served as president of Woodforest Financial Services, an affiliate of

Woodforest National Bank Woodforest National Bank is a privately held bank headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. As of March 2020, it had more than 788 branches in 17 different states. Woodforest National Bank is Walmart's largest retail partner, and also provides financi ...

. Williams started his new position at Texas A&M on December 2, 2013.Stewart, Katy
Retired state senator joins Texas A&M leadership
Houston Business Journal, November 1, 2013. Among those seeking to fill Williams' Senate seat were neighboring State Representatives

Steve Toth Steve Hixson Toth (born November 29, 1960) is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15. Early life and education Born and raised in New York (state), New York, Toth attende ...

of District 15 in The Woodlands and

Brandon Creighton Charles Brandon Creighton (born August 5, 1970) is an American attorney and politician from Conroe, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 4, and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 1 ...

of District 16 in Conroe, both of Montgomery County. Creighton defeated Toth in a

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

to claim the seat.

Election results

Most recent election

2004

Previous elections

2002

2000

1998

1996

References

External links

Senate of Texas - Senator Tommy WilliamsTommy Williams Texas Senator
campaign website
Project Vote Smart - Senator Tommy Williams (TX)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Tommy Williams
20062004200220001998
campaign contributions * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tommy 1956 births Living people People from Marshall, Texas People from The Woodlands, Texas Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Republican Party Texas state senators American bankers Texas A&M University alumni 21st-century American politicians American United Methodists