A little unorthodox
Aug. 2—When a person decides to run for office, they register as a Democrat or Republican.
Some will shed the partisan shackles and run as independents, but one man from Lebanon is taking a different approach ... running a write-in campaign.
C.L. Williams is asking voters to consider his unorthodox campaign for county commission in district 20.
"I have been out here waving signs," Williams said. "I've even had my kids out there with me."
Williams indicated that relations with his opponent, Glenn Denton, have remained cordial.
"I met my opponent," Williams said. "He was very nice to me. We have spoken every time we have seen each other out here. He smiles and waves. I smile and wave. It's cordial, just the way that it should be."
Williams is quick to admit that he is constantly learning.
"I'm not 20 years in the game," Williams said. "I'm still learning. A lot of people are surprised that I'm even running a write-in campaign. The No. 1 thing is that I don't have a background or a career in politics."
Although the nature of his campaign may be catching some voters off guard, Williams remarked that at least he does not have to introduce himself to everyone for the first time.
"It's definitely a surprise to a lot of people," Williams said. "However, this is the community that I was born and raised in, so they know me. The support has really been phenomenal."
While he is not building his brand entirely from scratch, Williams mentioned that he is still getting acclimated to life after COVID.
"A big challenge for me has been getting out and re-establishing myself," Williams said. "Everybody, myself included, has not been able to be as active in as many social events with COVID. I had been easing my way back into society, but this race changed that."
The break-neck pace of the race forced him to put aside any lingering reservations.
"When this came around, it was like, right here, right now, gotta do it," Williams said. "Just the adjustment after the way of life that was adopted during COVID, getting out of that and then bam, a political race on top of that, but here we go. It's a challenge, but left foot right."
Williams mentioned that he had been prompted by several people in his community to run. However, the deciding factor for him was district 20 not having a choice in the election. Denton is officially running for the seat unopposed. Williams said that the cornerstone of his campaign was giving those voters a choice.
Although write-in candidates seldom enjoy the taste of victory, successful write-in campaigns are not unprecedented. According to a history page on senate.gov, former U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond launched a successful write-in campaign in 1954, after the states seat was vacated.
Thurmond, a former South Carolina governor, declared his intention to run as a write-in candidate and won with 63% of the vote, becoming the first person elected to the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate in a general election.
Rep. Charlie Wilson of Ohio was successful with a write-in bid in the 2006 primary for Ohio's 6th District. A bio of Wilson on wikipedia.com indicated that his campaign "launched a massive effort, aided by the national party and organized labor, to 'write-in' Charlie Wilson's name in the primary."
Wilson won 66% of the vote against two opponents.
Election Day is Thursday.
Wilson County Administrator of Elections Tammy Smith confirmed that as of the conclusion of early voting, 8.9% of registered voters had cast their ballots.
