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Marion LaTroy Williams
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
- 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.
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)
Office history
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)
Documented disputes and controversies
- "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)
- 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
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."
Business interests and wealth source
No statement of interest filing found as of 2026-04-25. Search the Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search.
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Williams”, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name (“Williams”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Williams”and, if needed, select the applicable position.
Federal offices — campaign finance
- US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), not with state systems — FEC candidate search. Filter by office, state, and cycle to narrow the results. Financial disclosures (personal assets and income) for members of Congress and congressional candidates are filed with the US House Clerk or US Senate Office of Public Records, depending on the office.