Pro-Trump Former Illegal Immigrant Whittney Williams Running For Congress
Key word: former.
Whittney Williams Campaign On August 19, Whittney Williams, 37, announced her candidacy for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District in 2020. A former illegal immigrant who is pro-Trump Republican, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and anti-socialism, she currently serves as a diversity director for the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee. In her announcement tweet, she proclaimed her strong belief in the American Dream. Yet, she resists the “Dreamer” label. How does she propose to Make America Great Again with severely limited prior political experience? (She has a photo of herself in the hat, so it should be safe to assume she holds by the mantra).
Who is Whittney Williams?
1. Now a Canton Township resident, she was brought to the United States at the age of 10 from Taiwan “without knowing a word of English.”
“My family overstayed their visas and, as a result, I spent the next 16 years living in the shadows as an illegal immigrant,” Williams said. Her site bio explains in part that this experience “significantly shaped Whittney’s love for her country, belief in the American dream, and conservative values.” In an interview with Daily Caller, Williams said she grew up in poverty in southern California, where her fridge was filled with 29 cent cheeseburgers from McDonald’s when times were tough and her “closet” was a trashcan. She learned English by memorizing the Pledge of Allegiance. She paid international tuition rates to get through college and would’ve joined the Navy if not for her immigration status. She finally received her United States citizenship in 2013 when she married her husband, Brian. Williams is also fluent in Mandarin-Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien and enjoys boxing and spending time with her husband and their three rescue dogs.
2. Her hardship inspired her to fight for stricter immigration policies.
“They know the immigration crisis cannot be solved as long as they push their radical anti-American, anti-immigrant and anti-Dreamer open border agenda. I support border security to put an end to this once and for all,” she said. It appears her agenda is to block off further immigrants from entering the country and focus solely on improving America’s economy for American citizens. Her announcement video says nothing about how she plans to address the number of illegal immigrants currently in the country, and the links on her site to each of the issues for which she’s fighting lead nowhere. A spokesperson for the Williams campaign confirmed to Heavy that more information on each of the issues would be available to the public over the course of the campaign.
3. She previously worked in the automotive, modeling, and acting industries.
According to her site bio, she “spent the last several years traveling the country working as a U.S. auto show product specialist.” She has also appeared in commercials and advertisements for Haworth, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jeep, Chevy, Lincoln, Ford, Mopar, Gardner White and the Pure Michigan Campaign. She has danced with the American Ballet Theater and has performed in annual Nutcracker and other dance productions with local ballet companies. Currently, she serves as the director of diversity for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District Republican Committee. She plans to challenge Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens (D) for the 11th District seat Stevens flipped blue during the 2018 midterms.
4. She graduated from the University of Utah and Purdue University.
At the University of Utah, she received a Bachelor’s degree in Ballet Performance. She later went on to earn a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications with an emphasis on Public Relations from Purdue University.
5. She's committed to rejuvenating the Michigan auto industry.
She draws on her own experience as a product specialist in the auto industry. Interestingly, both candidates running in the district outside Detroit have experience in the automotive industry. Stevens is the former chief of staff for former President Obama's auto task force, and Williams's worked as a U.S. auto show product specialist.
6. She plans to unseat Democratic Representative Haley Stevens.
Stevens, who first earned her seat in Congress during a statewide swing toward Democratic candidates, won by nearly seven percentage points in the 2018 midterm elections. The ex-Obama official managed to flip the 11th House District from Rep. Dave Trott (R) who formerly held the position and did not seek reelection. Historically, Michigan’s 11th District has been Republican, and only three Democrats have represented this district since 1965. Williams intends to bring the floor back to Republicans.
Leah Scher is an ENFP and recent graduate of Brandeis University. She's an alumna of the Kenyon Review Young Writer's Workshop the Iowa Young Writers' Studio. She's passionate about Judaism, poetry, film, satire, astrology, spirituality, and sexual health.