After surviving the economic downturn of 2008, his business flourished. In 2011, he was again hit with bad news from the government. Obamacare would soon be rolled out across the nation. Being uncertain of the long term affects of Obamacare, Michael realized it was time to consider an exit strategy. In 2013 he was made an offer for his entire chain of Sports Clips that he could not refuse. He sold all locations and in 2014, ran for State Senate in Forsyth county.

Having personally experienced government over-reach in his own business, Michael was determined to fight this in the State Senate. He challenged a powerful establishment incumbent for State Senate and won. Being the outsider and challenging the establishment, Michael had to use his own money to run his campaign. He spent over $300,000 of his own money to defeat the incumbent. The final vote ended up being a landslide victory, 66% to 34%.

In September 2015, Michael became the first elected official in Georgia to endorse Donald Trump for President. He took a lot of heat for this endorsement from the establishment but he was not deterred. He became the first Georgia Co-Chair for the Trump campaign and went on to travel across the country as an official surrogate for the Trump campaign.

After spending a term and half in the State Senate, Michael saw the Capitol culture that prevented conservative legislation from becoming law. He knew the only way to change this culture was to become Governor. On June 1, 2017, Michael Williams entered the race for Governor of Georgia as a Republican. He is largely self-funding his own campaign with the support of small-dollar donors from across the state. He will remain extremely accessible to the people of this state, which is why he has chosen to publish his personal cell phone number throughout the campaign. Please call or text if you have any questions about Mr. Williams or the campaign. He will respond!