What happens to Lewis’ seat in Congress after his death?

Special election to fill rest of term, then general election.

The death of U.S. Rep. John Lewis sets up two separate votes to fill the Atlanta-based congressional seat he’s held since 1987.

The first is a special election to fill the remainder of the civil rights icon’s term after his death Friday due to complications of pancreatic cancer. Gov. Brian Kemp has 10 days to schedule that vote to serve the rest of the Dem- ocrat’s term, which expires in January.

The second is the November general election for a new two-year term representing the district. Since Lewis had already won the Democratic nomination in June, state law gives the Democratic Party of Georgia until 4:30 p.m. on Monday to decide whether to replace his name on the bal- lot or, in an unlikely scenario, leave his name on the ballot.

State Democratic officials didn’t issue an immediate decision on Saturday but plan internal discussions to outline the party’s next steps.

Bryan Sells, an attorney specializing in elections law, said the governor has discretion on when to call the special election to fill the remainder of Lewis’ term, but predicted it would be held in November.

The last special election for a Georgia U.S. House seat occurred in 2017. Pres- ident Donald Trump tapped then-U.S. Rep. Tom Price in November 2016 for a Cabi- net post, triggering an April 2017 special election and a June runoff for the suburban Atlanta seat.

With Lewis’ death, four of Georgia’s 14 U.S. House seats are open in November. Republican Reps. Tom Graves of Granger and Rob Woodall of Lawrenceville aren’t seeking reelection, and Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville is leaving the seat to run for U.S. Senate.

Lewis represents one of the safest Democratic seats in the nation, a majority-Black district that stretches from the heart of dow ntown Atlanta to parts of Clayton and DeKalb counties. Hillary Clinton overwhelmingly carried the district in 2016, and Lewis ran unopposed two years ago.

Republican Angela-Stanton King is waging a long-shot bid for Lewis’ seat and won her party’s nomination without opposition. The author and former reality show star was recently pardoned by Trump after her 2004 conviction on federal conspiracy charges for her role in a car theft ring.

AL DRAGO / NEW YORK TIMES 2017 John Lewis has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987, representing Georgia’s 5th District, which stretches from the heart of downtown Atlanta to parts of Clayton and DeKalb counties.