State Senator Nikema Williams from Atlanta was chosen from many potential candidates by Georgia Democratic officials Monday, the New York Times reports.
What We Know:
- The decision came just three days after the death of Congressman John Lewis, a Civil Rights leader and an icon who served over 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives for the Atlanta area.
- Democratic officials said they felt rushed to decide due to a state law that required them to put a name forward by Monday. The pool of 131 potential candidates was limited to five finalists before Williams, who also serves as the chairwoman of the state party, was selected by the party’s executive committee of 44 members.
- “It’s surreal that we’re forced to endure this nomination process while still grieving,” Williams said in a speech before the vote. “Nobody could possibly fill the shoes of Congressman Lewis, but his leadership and fighting spirit is needed now more than ever in this country. We need someone who’s not afraid to put themselves on the line for their constituents in the same way Congressman Lewis taught us to. I would be honored if you chose me to be that person.”
- The decision to fill the vacancies fell to Democratic officials because Georgia’s primary election was held in June. Governor Brian Kemp has ten days after Lewis’s death to call a special election, which he has not yet announced. That most likely means the seat will remain “vacant” until the November election, which Williams is now considered the frontrunner.
- The party’s decision did not come without its critics, however, specifically from Barrington D. Martin II, who ran and lost to Mr. Lewis in the June primary. He felt the voters should have had more of a say in the filling of the seat, stating, “It’s disgraceful to think that Congressman Lewis wanted the people to be heard and today they were not heard at all.”
- The executive director of the state party, Scott Hogan, said that while they were forced to rely on a “system that falls short of a full districtwide election to ensure that we have a strong Democratic nominee,” the party believes they “have the absolute best candidate in Nikema Williams who will fight hard for Georgians.”
- Nikema Williams will face off against Angela Stanton-King in the November election, though history tells us the Republican nominee won’t put up much of a fight. John Lewis won with at least 70 percent of the vote in all, but one of his re-election bids and Hillary Clinton won with 85 percent of the vote against President Trump in the district during the 2016 presidential election.
The news comes as Congress returns to Washington with only a few short weeks to revamp an economic relief package to help Americans affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
