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Marcus Whittman Williams
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Marcus Whittman Williams is a Democrat and attorney from Lumberton, in Robeson County 67. He ran in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Thom Tillis, finishing third in a six-candidate field with 20,336 votes, 2.5% of the Democratic primary vote; former Gov. Roy Cooper won the nomination with 761,345 votes, 92.0% 1. The Federal Election Commission lists him as a Senate candidate in North Carolina under candidate ID S8NC00270, with federal candidacies on file for 2008, 2010, 2022 and 2026 and a committee registered as Marcus W Williams for US Senate 4.
In a candidate statement published by WCTI in New Bern, which noted that "[t]hese answers are from the candidate and have not been fact checked," Williams wrote: "My vast experience of 46 consecutive and continuous years as an Attorney At Law (17 as Executive Director of Legal Services Programs), is well chronicled on my Facebook page. Having served as a Legal Services advocate for 24 years and 6 years as a Public Defender, strained or scarce resources for clients and their families (aka Affordability) has been the central constant condition that had to be creatively addressed. I am the best proven candidate, with experience in three states, to serve as the United States Senator for the citizens of North Carolina" 2.
Background and education
Williams was born in 1953 in North Carolina and has been registered to vote as a Democrat in Robeson County since July 13, 2001 6. Vote Smart's biographical record gives his birthplace as Lumberton, a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975, and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1978 3. In his WCTI statement, Williams said he was elected student body president of Lumberton High School "immediately after the consolidation of the City schools," and later served as student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the University of Minnesota Law School 2.
Career
Vote Smart's record of Williams's professional experience lists him as attorney, law clerk and community fellow with Southern Minnesota Regional Services from 1976 to 1983; executive director of Legal Services of the Coastal Plains from 1983 to 1987; executive director of Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear from 1987 to 1996; executive director of Pennsylvania Legal Services from 1996 to 2000; an assistant public defender for the State of North Carolina from 2001 to 2006; and owner of Marcus W. Williams, Attorney At Law, since 2006 3. The same record lists him as a former chair of the Association of Legal Services Project Directors of North Carolina, a member of the North Carolina, Minnesota and Pennsylvania bars, president of the Robeson County Bar Association in 2010, and a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2001 3.
His campaign site describes him as "Licensed to Practice Law in 3 States, The U.S. Supreme Court, The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and other Federal Courts," and reproduces an October 7, 1992 Wilmington Morning Star item identifying him as executive director of Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear and crediting his group with setting up a community development corporation 8. In a 2022 candidate questionnaire for Port City Daily, Williams cited his work on the renovation of the Tileston School in Wilmington, the 79-unit Hadden Hall Apartments for elderly and disabled residents, and the Wilmington/New Hanover Community Development Corporation and its business incubator 7.
Office history
Williams has not held elected office. Official North Carolina precinct-result files record the following primary candidacies 5:
- 2008 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate: 170,970 votes, 12.8%
- 2010 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate: 35,984 votes, 8.5%
- 2012 Democratic primary, U.S. House District 8: 17,393 votes, 27.4%
- 2014 Democratic primary, N.C. Senate District 13: 5,496 votes, 27.3%
- 2016 Democratic primary for N.C. Attorney General: 445,524 votes, 46.6%
- 2020 Democratic primary, U.S. House District 9: 10,527 votes, 13.0%
- 2022 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate: 17,444 votes, 2.8%
- 2024 Democratic primary for governor of North Carolina: 39,257 votes, 5.7%
Vote Smart's record also lists a 1992 candidacy for governor of North Carolina 3.
Sources
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.
North Carolina — campaign finance
- State, county, and municipal candidates — all in one system — NC State Board of Elections — Committee Search. Search by last name “Williams”.
North Carolina — statement of economic interest
- Required for state-elected and many local officials — NC State Ethics Commission — Statement of Economic Interest Search. Search by last name “Williams”.
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.