Chief assistant prosecutor Craig Williams files to run for Palm Beach County State Attorney

WEST PALM BEACH — Veteran prosecutor Craig A. Williams has entered the race to become the next Palm Beach County State Attorney.

Williams joins fellow Palm Beach County prosecutor Alexcia Cox and defense attorney Gregg Lerman in seeking to succeed three-term incumbent Dave Aronberg, who announced in June that he will not seek a fourth term in 2024.

Williams filed to run July 31, qualified for the ballot Aug. 2 and will seek the office as a Democrat, like Cox and Lerman. He formally announced his candidacy in a statement Monday.

Williams is one of Aronberg’s chief assistants, supervising the State Attorney's Office's felony trial, intake, organized crime, traffic homicide and mental health units, as well as its offices at the Criminal Justice Complex on Gun Club Road near West Palm Beach and in Belle Glade.

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Williams believes he can recruit, retain top prosecutors in office

Williams has been a prosecutor off and on for more than 26 years and practiced criminal defense law from 2010 to 2012. He said he decided to run for the top prosecutor job after being encouraged to do so by several people within the legal community.

“I believe my style, the way I treat people, I can get the best-quality and the best-trained prosecutors,” he said Monday.

“The state attorney doesn’t do it all. At the end of the day, we need really good prosecutors and really well-trained and ethical prosecutors, and that’s what I can bring.”

About 250 people staff the State Attorney's Office, with about 100 of them prosecutors.

Democratic primary in August 2024 could decide race

During his tenure with the State Attorney’s Office, Williams himself has prosecuted high-profile cases such at the 2017 retrial of Dalia Dippolito, who was found guilty of trying to kill her husband by hiring a gunman.

He was also involved in the 2006 prosecution of Jeffrey Lamb, who was convicted in the bludgeoning death of his wife, Cathy.

That Williams, Cox and Lerman have all filed to run as Democrats means the election would be decided in the August 2024 primary unless a challenger from a different party or independent candidate files.

Otherwise, the primary winner would advance to the general election that following November.

The filing deadline is April 2024.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Craig Williams announces candidacy for Palm Beach County State Attorney