Williams to run again for State House, not interested in State Senate

Rick Williams, who's represented Baldwin County in the State House of Representatives since January 2017, told Baldwin2k this week that he intends to run for a fourth term in 2022. 

Williams previously  became the first Republican to represent Baldwin County in the State House in at least 50 years, if not much longer. Williams defeated Democratic challenger Quentin T. Howell by a 56.2–43.8 percentage margin in 2020, while running unopposed in 2018. In 2016, meanwhile, Williams won against Democratic challenger Floyd L. Griffin. 

Williams is the owner-operator of Williams Funeral Home and was a County Commissioner years ago, as well as a member of the Board of Registrars. His comprehensive Ballotpedia page can be read HERE.

Despite the fact it's a more exclusive club with relatively more clout around the Gold Dome, Williams said that he has no interest in running for State Senate. There are 180 members of the House of Representatives in Georgia and only 56 in the Senate. Burt Jones, who currently represents Baldwin County in the State Senate, is running for Lieutenant Governor next year, meaning that Baldwin County will have a new State Senator when the new General Assembly is sworn in in January 2023, one way or the other.

"I've had a number of people ask me about (running for State Senate), but I'm happy being a State Representative," said Williams, a 1970 Baldwin High graduate. "I plan on running for re-election several more times, as long as the good Lord gives me the strength."

Bureaucrats and politicians in Atlanta currently are in the process of redistricting and drawing new legislative maps, which is required by law following the 2020 Census. Williams said that he "lost 2,016 people" following the most recent Census, a product of Baldwin County actually losing population between 2010 and 2020. Williams also represents several precincts in south Putnam County. 

Based on Georgia's new population, one State House seat will equal right around 59,000 people. This means that when the new legislative map is drawn, District 145 will look slightly different and most likely include several more areas of Putnam County, while keeping Baldwin County whole. In terms of a timetable for new legislative maps, Williams said that "it will be October at the very earliest."

In terms of a possible replacement for Jones in the State Senate, Williams said that he "hasn't heard much." Despite the fact that District 25's State Senator was always from Baldwin County prior to the election of Jones, who's from Butts County, Williams said that he hasn't heard from any Milledgeville people who aren interested in the seat.