Visiting Assistant Professor of Government Michael John Williams announced his decision to run for office in the 5th Connecticut Congressional District in the Democratic Party primary this past May. Williams said that if elected, he aims to maintain progressive values while reducing the deficit.
“I think that the opportunity that used to exist in Connecticut and across the country to allow people to get ahead and pursue their dreams is being increasingly eliminated,” Williams said. “I don’t have faith that a status quo career politician is going to be able to change the game in any way, shape, or form.”
Williams worked as an International Affairs adviser for then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign for approximately 18 months. He also worked in similar capacities at several government agencies, including the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO). In addition, he advised British and Canadian governments on matters of global security.
“My background is rooted in policy and research,” he said. “I’ve always worked in international relations, and my interest has always been in war and conflict in the modern world. In particular, I’ve worked a lot on the relationship between civilians and combat zones and economic development in hostile environments.”
Williams is a fourth-generation citizen of Connecticut, and was raised in Southington, CT. He currently teaches the First Year Initiative Cold War Relations and The History and Geopolitics of South Asia.
“I bring to the table a unique set of experiences, one that combines local knowledge given that I am the candidate with the most history in the district, combined with global perspective,” Williams said. “I may not have been in the General Assembly for twenty years casting votes, but I’m the only person who prepared daily talking points for Senator Obama when he was a presidential candidate. I have a different set of experiences, and I think that what you want in a public servant is someone who can look at a problem, look at different alternatives, and then proceed with a way forward.”
Williams said he believes he possesses the necessary experience for the job, though he has never served
“What I feel particularly passionate about is that the United States has to be globally competitive,” he said. “I think for the past 60 years or so, we were in such a fortunate position with a dominant economy that we didn’t have to focus so much on being competitive because we could just overwhelm everything with such a huge market and such a talented population, but what’s happened is the rest of the world has developed. So it puts pressure on us to get our A game on.”
Williams is one of several candidates vying for the seat after incumbent Democratic Chris Murphy announced that he will run for Senator Joe Lieberman’s soon-to-be-vacant seat in the 2012 election. The 5th district is located in the northwestern portion of Connecticut and includes Danbury, Meriden, New Britain, and parts of Waterbury.
Williams was pleased to note that he had recently received an endorsement from the Central Connecticut State University Democrats. President Michael Roth said he thinks Williams’ political experiences will add something new to the classroom.
“I’ve met him and spoken briefly with him,” Roth said. “I wish him well [in the campaign], and I’m sure he’ll bring a lot of interesting things to the classroom as a visiting professor.”
The Connecticut Democratic primaries for the 5th Congressional District will take place on Aug. 10, 2012.