Marion LaTroy Williams

2026 Candidacy

• Democratic candidate for Shelby County Trustee in the May 5, 2026 primary. (Shelby County Election Commission Final Candidate List, Memphis Public Libraries 2026 voter guide)
• Also filed for the 2026 Democratic primary for U.S. House TN-9 (challenging incumbent Steve Cohen). (Ballotpedia)
• Campaign site: mlatroya-williams.com. Candidate profile: justmymemphis.com/mlatroyawilliams.

Name variations

Filings and press have used "Marion Latroy A-Williams," "M. LaTroy Williams," "M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams," and "Marion Latroy Alexandria-Williams Jr." — all refer to the same person. (Ballotpedia)

Prior candidacies

Long record of campaigns (all unsuccessful):

• 2008: Independent for Shelby County Trustee. (Memphis Flyer)
• 2015: Memphis Mayor. (Ballotpedia)
• 2016, 2018, 2024, 2026: Democratic primary, U.S. House TN-9 (challenging Steve Cohen). (Memphis Flyer)
• 2020: Democratic primary, Tennessee State Senate District 30 — lost to Sara Kyle.
• 2022: Democratic primary, Tennessee State Senate District 33 — lost to London Lamar. (Memphis Flyer)
• 2023: General election for Memphis City Council Super District 8, Position 2 — lost to Janika White.

Career

• Self-described businessman, newspaper publisher, and community advocate.
• Library of Congress records list "M. Latroy A. Williams" as editor of the Mid-South Express, a Memphis weekly newspaper, circa 1981. (Library of Congress catalog)
• Describes himself on LinkedIn as "Businessman / Author & Newspaper/Magazine Publishers at International Communication & Associate's." (LinkedIn)

Platform

• "Trickle-up" economic theory. Proposes Mud Island as an international trade hub (claiming ~80,000 jobs) and President Island as a green-jobs hub. Education reform; criminal-justice reform; property-tax relief for seniors and veterans. (campaign site)

Documented controversies

• 2008: Campaign fliers carried fake endorsements and a misspelled version of former official Minerva Johnican's name; a now-defunct company of his, First Supreme Trust Company Inc., owed ~$67,000 in back taxes to the Trustee's office he was seeking to lead. (Memphis Flyer)
• 2010: The Shelby County Democratic Party sought a legal injunction against him over sample-ballot activities. (Memphis Flyer)
• 2014: Signage suggested President Obama had endorsed congressional candidate Ricky Wilkins; Rep. Steve Cohen called it deceptive. Also the subject of FEC Matter Under Review 6861. (FEC MUR 6861 (PDF))
• 2018: The TN Democratic Party declared him ineligible for the TN-9 primary; Chancellor Walter Evans ruled in his favor twice; suit Williams v. Goins et al. was eventually withdrawn. (Memphis Flyer)
• 2019: Commercial Appeal reported on bogus-ballot and election-deception allegations. (Commercial Appeal)
• Operates an entity he calls "The National Democratic Party U.S.A." — not affiliated with the DNC, the Tennessee Democratic Party, or the Shelby County Democratic Party.

Family note

Shelby County's 2026 candidate filings list Marinda A-Williams (Democratic primary for County School Board District 6) at the same filing address, 3693 Hermitage Drive. She appears on Ballotpedia under "Marinda Alexandria-Williams." Relationship not stated in public coverage — inferred from shared address and hyphenated surname.

Merged on 2026-04-18 from two duplicate person records (HRXole8Q95 and 15nTBbipZX). Several biographical claims on the candidate's own site (civil-rights march at age 15, Carter-era committee appearance, Mud Island job projection) are self-reported and not independently corroborated. Memphis Flyer characterized him in past reporting as "but a perennial candidate."

Statement of interest (Tennessee Ethics Commission)

No statement of interest filing found as of 2026-04-25. Search the Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search.