Georgia Democrats tap state party chair to replace John Lewis on November ballot

Georgia Democratic officials on Monday chose state senator and party chair Nikema Williams to replace the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on the ballot in November.

The vote by the state party’s executive committee came three days after Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement and a longtime congressman, died at the age of 80. 

Selecting a nominee to replace Lewis on the ballot was a whirlwind process for Georgia Democrats. Party officials had only until Monday at 4:30 p.m. to select a new candidate, since Lewis died after the state’s June primaries.

The state party chose Williams, a veteran activist, from a list of five finalists for the nomination that included Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon, Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens, former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin and Georgia NAACP President James “Major” Woodall.

Those five candidates were chosen from a list of 131 people who applied for the nomination following Lewis’s death on Friday.

The sense of urgency was clear as members of the executive committee met on a video call to discuss the decision on Monday. Some members expressed frustration and confusion over the potentially lengthy procedures leading up to the vote.

Williams won the nomination with little opposition. Speaking to members of the state Democratic executive committee via video conference on Monday, she cast herself as an acolyte of Lewis, calling him “a personal hero, friend and political mentor.”

“I studied Congressman Lewis’s work closely and learned the art of getting into good trouble,” she said, adding that “nobody could possibly fill the shoes of Congressman Lewis. His leadership and fighting spirit is needed now more than ever in this country.”

But, she continued, “we need someone who is not afraid to put themselves on the line for their constituents in the way that Congressman Lewis taught us to.”

Williams is a virtual shoe-in to win the November election in Georgia’s heavily Democratic 5th District. Lewis, who represented the district from 1987 until his death, drew only token Republican opposition through the years. In 2018, he didn’t even draw a GOP challenger.

With the nomination under her belt, Williams will face Republican Angela Stanton-King in November. Stanton-King, an author and reality TV star who received a pardon from President Trump earlier this year, is considered a long-shot for the seat.

While Williams will appear on the ballot in November, there will also be a separate special election to determine who will serve out the remainder of Lewis’s term, which expires in January. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has 10 days to set a date for that election.

Updated at 2:48 p.m.