113th Congress: Roger Williams, R-Texas (25th District)

By Steven T. Dennis, CQ Staff

Roger Williams vows to emphasize spending cuts and a conservative stance on social issues, and he has not been shy about using the latest communications tools to make his stances well known.

Williams scored a YouTube hit with a video in 2011 labeled “The Donkey Whisperer,” in which he lectures a pack of donkeys about limited government.

He declared in another ad that the election was a choice between going down the “path of socialism” or capitalism, and at one forum called President Obama a socialist, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Williams has pledged a conservative social agenda, opposing abortion, gay marriage and federal funding for stem cell research.

He also opposes earmarks and supports repealing the 2010 health care overhaul and the education law known as No Child Left Behind.

Williams has signed pledges not to raise taxes, and says on his website that he would support either a flat tax or a consumption-based tax.

He has longstanding ties to influential Texas Republicans, including President George W. Bush and Sen. John Cornyn, but Williams emphasized his experience as a small businessman rather than his record in politics during his campaign.

Williams runs a Chrysler dealership, a fact his Democratic opponent unsuccessfully tried to make a campaign issue, alleging that he benefitted from the automaker’s bailout.