Martin E. "Marty" Williams (born March 5, 1951) was a Republican member of the Senate of Virginia

Senate of Virginia

The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...

 from 1996 to 2008.

Political career

Williams served on the Newport News

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...

 City Council for six years and was twice elected Vice-Mayor by his peers. In 1995, Williams challenged long-term Senator Hunter Andrews

Hunter Andrews

Hunter Booker Andrews was a long-serving Democratic member of the Senate of Virginia from Hampton, Virginia. He served as Senate Majority leader of the Senate from 1980 until his defeat in 1995.-Early life and career:...

 in the 1st Senate District

Virginia Senate, District 1

District 1 of the Virginia Senate is a senatorial district that encompasses all of the City of Williamsburg, most of the City of Newport News and parts of James City County, York County, the City of Suffolk and the City of Hampton. The current Senator from District 1 is John C...

 and defeated him. In 2007, Williams was challenged in the Republican Primary and was defeated by conservative local activist Patricia "Tricia" Stall. Stall went on to lose her election to Democrat John Miller

John Miller (Virginia politician)

John C. Miller is an American politician. A Democrat, he was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 2007...

.