William Wicker

William Wicker was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from Brighton High School. He earned an associate degree from Dyersburg State Community College in 2019 and a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona Global Campus in 2024. His career experience includes working as a laborer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm William Wicker, I am currently 27 as of writing. I was born in Memphis, I lived in Shelby County, Tennessee for the first few years of my life and moved to Atoka in Tipton County, Tennessee where I grew up. I attended Brighton High School and graduated from there in 2016. I then attended Christian Brothers University for the fall 2016 semester, but I had to stop attending due to it simply being too unaffordable. I then went to Dyersburg State Community College, graduating in 2019, while attending DSCC I was in a car crash that resulted in my truck being destroyed(I was thankfully unharmed), that was my harsh awakening, as I had to unsuccessfully search for a job for years, only finally finding a job as a security guard in July 2019. I moved with my parents to Jackson, Tennessee in late 2021, as they wanted to move closer to my grandparents. I quickly found a job in Jackson that I have been at since, this job paid most of my tuition to attend The University of Arizona Global Campus, from where I graduated in November 2024 with a B.A. in Operations Management and Analysis. I have been passionate about politics for a while now and finally decided to run because of the disaster that has been the 2nd Trump administration.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The affordability crisis is affecting nearly every facet of life, from healthcare to housing to food and gas prices. Wages have not kept up with productivity or inflation in decades, with the last raise in minimum wage occurring when I was just 11 years old. So many Tennesseans are living check to check and cannot afford to save for anything, leading to them getting exploited by greedy companies that take advantage of their poverty. Congress must step in and raise the minimum wage to at least $18 an hour. As of writing the ACA subsidies are set to expire in just over a month, resulting in health insurance becoming unaffordable to many Americans, we must work to make healthcare cheaper or even provided by the government, just as in Canada.Wealth inequality is at an all time high, even higher than it was during the era of robber barons and the Gilded Age. Deregulation and many other factors led us into this kerfuffle, while Elon Musk and Donald Trump and their cronies are stuffing their pockets millions of Americans are going hungry and without adequate shelter, I see this nearly every day when I am going to work, with the indigent begging for relief on roadsides and at intersections in Jackson. We must tax the rich more and use that money to aid the common American, instead of letting it sit in a bank account and do nothing. Trickle-down economics has failed and we are living with the results of that failure, as austerity has become the rule, we must fix this failing."Gerontocracy" means government by old people, which our country has effectively become, these officials will not live to see the results and failures of the systems they mess with and implement, my generation will have to live with the results for decades, just as we have to live with the results of doing minimal effort to stop climate change. I think that we need younger people involved in government, but this is stymied by structural issues with election law, such as the FEC liming candidate salary to an average of the last 5 years of their pay, for me that would simply not be enough to live on because I cannot afford health insurance without an employer subsidy. We must work to make the government more equitable.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am most passionate about human rights, most specifically transgender and LGBT rights. I am also passionate about advocating to ease the plight of Palestinians, especially those in Gaza currently experiencing genocide at the hands of Israel. I am also passionate about the need to regulate generative "AI", which is increasingly being used as a tool of bigotry and oppression against minorities. "AI" is also being used as a tool to enrich corporations at the cost of the common man, with art generators being fed art illegally and then using that theft to generate new "art." In my opinion it is a moral failing to use generative "AI" and as such I will not use it.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up the the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. His leadership during the Civil War resulted in the union staying whole, it is a shame that his life was cowardly taken before he could lead reconstruction. I also look up to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose leadership was instrumental in leading the US in recovering from the Great Depression and into and through most of WW2, though he did err in many ways such as the Japanese internment camps. He was a great leader for passing the New Deal I hope that one day I get to be part of passing legislation as groundbreaking and important as that.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, and charity. I want officials to be honest and not corrupt. I also want officials to be selfless and not cruel like so many Republican officials have become.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I see being a representative as being a customer service agent, as such I think the core responsibilities are to represent what your constituents want, be kind, and think of how these laws will affect the future, as long term thinking seems to have gone extinct in Washington.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave the world in a better place than it was in when I got here.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The 2008 election and 2009 Obama Inauguration, I would have been 10 for both of those.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a security guard in Covington, Tennessee getting paid a whole $8 an hour between 2019 and 2021. I quit that job when I landed my current job in a warehouse.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible, it is a great work and fundamental to how we view society, but it should not be the be all and end all of American jurisprudence.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Lyse Hext from Final Fantasy XIV, she is a leader in the fight to free her homeland from an oppressive empire

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have struggled with depression and loneliness my entire adult life.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, although I lack such experience I think that it is a benefit.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The resurgence of fascism and white supremacy is definitely what I see as the greatest challenge in the next decade. I also see political polarization as a major issue on the road that lay ahead of us.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

No, I think the term length for representatives should be four years, as two year terms mean that representatives are always thinking about the next campaign. I think that the house should be the first step on the federal cursus honorum, with representatives getting used to working for the people in this office.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I think term limits are a good idea for the house and senate, maybe like 10 terms for house and 4 terms for senate should be the limit. I think the lack of term limits has led us into this current age of gerontocracy where our officials will not live to see the long term results of their laws rulings and actions.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

It's not a story but a personal observation. My grandmother has been retired since I was a kid, she lost her husband, my grandfather in November 2020 shortly before the election. Her house has been paid off for more than a decade and she has been living off Social Security, she gets help from a food bank to help her eat. This poverty is all too common in West Tennessee and America as a whole, it is heart crushing to hear tales of hours long lines at food banks and food banks being deprived of funding.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Realistically yes, but I do not desire the idea of having to compromise with Republicans to pass legislation.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I would use this power to advocate for raising taxes on the rich making over $50 million a year, and using that funding for social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and housing programs for the indigent.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

The house should be using its investigative powers to interfere with the brazen power grabs by the 2nd Trump administration, and it should be using these investigative powers to dig into the corruption surrounding the 2nd Trump administration. Examples of this corruption include the many pardons and the plain breaking of the emoluments clause with the gifting of a plane by the UAE to Trump.

Candidates hear many personal stories from voters. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching or memorable?

No, I don't have any :(

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I graduated with a B.A while working full time and with minimal debt.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

As I said in my earlier points I think that generative AI must be regulated, it is being used solely to harm.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

I would advocate for universal voting by mail, which is as secure as paper ballots. It is plainly not worth it to interfere with mail in ballots as it is just too hard to scale and not worth the incredibly severe penalties for tampering with them.