Lindsey Williams

Lindsey Marie Williams (born August 27, 1983) is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 38th district.[2]

Lindsey Williams
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 38th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byRandy Vulakovich
Personal details
Born (1983-08-27) August 27, 1983[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materDickinson College (BA)
Duquesne University School of Law (JD)
ProfessionLawyer
WebsiteOfficial website

Education

Williams earned a BA in political science from Dickinson College and a JD from Duquesne University School of Law.[2]

Career

Williams worked as director of advocacy for the National Whistleblower Center, but was laid off in 2012 after attempting to unionize the small workforce. She was offered a severance package but rejected it because of a confidentiality clause that would have prevented her from discussing her experiences. She appealed to the National Labor Relations Board, and eventually settled the case with her former employer.[3]

In 2014, Williams became communications director for the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. She also previously worked for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.[2]

In 2018, Williams ran against Republican nominee Jeremy Shaffer in the general election, after Shaffer had defeated incumbent Randy Vulakovich in the Republican primary.[4] The race was heavily watched, and Williams received an endorsement from former U.S. President Barack Obama.[5] Both campaigns raised substantial amounts of funding—Williams raised over $700,000 and Shaffer raised over $1 million, including contributing $400,000 of his own money by the start of October and another $100,000 by the end of the month.[5][6] Williams also campaigned and shared resources with other local female candidates, including Sara Innamorato.[7] She narrowly defeated Shaffer (50.1% to 49.7%) in the election.[6]

Weeks before the election, Republicans in the state claimed Williams did not meet the constitutional residency requirement and attempted to remove her name from the ballot. They contended that since she voted in Maryland in the 2014 general election, she had not been a resident of Pennsylvania for at least four years as required by the state constitution. However, the effort was rejected by a court.[8] After she won the election, state Republicans renewed their opposition and challenged her ability to be seated in the legislature.[9][10][11] After months of controversy, the Republican leadership in the Senate decided against preventing her inauguration based on the documents produced by Williams.[12] She took the oath of office and was sworn in with other newly elected members on January 1, 2019.[13]

References
  1. Delano, Jon (January 30, 2019). "More Millennials Holding Official Positions In Growing Pittsburgh Trend". CBS Pittsburgh.
  2. "Lindsey M. Williams". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  3. Goldstein, Matthew; Protess, Ben (December 1, 2015). "Whistle-Blower Complaint Directed at Whistle-Blower Group". The New York Times.
  4. Micek, John L. (September 18, 2018). "These are the eight Pennsylvania State Senate races you should be paying attention to right now". The Patriot-News.
  5. Potter, Chris (October 1, 2018). "Williams Gets Obama Endorsement In Her State Senate Race". WESA 90.5.
  6. Czebiniak, Madasyn (November 6, 2018). "Lindsey Williams edges out Jeremy Shaffer for 38th State Senate seat". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  7. Routh, Julian (September 27, 2018). "Women making strides in Pennsylvania politics". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  8. Navratil, Liz (October 24, 2018). "Court dismisses challenge to Lindsey Williams' residency in state Senate race". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  9. Lacy, Akela (December 6, 2018). "Pennsylvania Republicans, thwarted in court, are trying to deny seating the Democratic winner of an election". The Intercept.
  10. Couloumbis, Angela (December 10, 2018). "Lindsey Williams gives GOP evidence she says will prove when she moved to Pennsylvania". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  11. Navratil, Liz (December 14, 2018). "Fight over Lindsey Williams' residency brings Pa. Senate into uncommon political territory". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  12. Bauder, Bob (December 28, 2018). "Senate Republicans will not oppose inauguration of Lindsey Williams". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  13. Hughes, Sarah Anne (January 1, 2019). "No more drama: Pittsburgh's Lindsey Williams sworn in as state senator". The Incline.
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