‘Good trouble’ nominee picked to replace Lewis
WASHINGTON – Georgia Democrats on Monday chose state Sen. Nikema Williams to replace Rep. John Lewis on the general election ballot this fall.
Lewis, the civil rights icon who served in Congress for more than 30 years, died on Friday.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp still needs to announce the date of a special election to fill the remainder of Lewis’ term. Kemp must call for a special election within 10 days of the seat being vacant, and the contest can’t be sooner than 30 days after the announcement.
Williams, the first Black woman to chair the state party, said she studied Lewis’ work closely and practices what he called the art of getting into “good trouble.”
“We need someone who is not afraid to put themselves on the line for their constituents in the same way that Congressman Lewis taught us to,” she said.
Williams said she has fought for abortion and voting rights, for the rights of domestic workers, for affordable health care and other progressive policies.
She also referred to her November 2018 arrest in the Capitol building along with those protesting the state’s contentious gubernatorial election.
“The lessons of getting into good trouble became more real than ever,” she said.
“I was standing with my constituents, speaking out and demanding that every vote be counted.”
Williams’ husband was a top aide to Lewis. Her state Senate district includes more than 100,000 residents who are also in the 5th Congressional District.
“I think she presents the best combination of activism, legislative experience and representation already of a large part of the 5th District,” said party member David Worley.
Lewis represented one of the South’s most heavily Democratic districts, a seat that includes most of Atlanta.
Party leaders in the 5th District and the state put forward five recommended candidates from a list of 131 applicants who answered an open call Saturday. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams were among the prominent Georgia Democrats who did not apply. Both instead served on the sevenperson nominating committee.
“The nominating committee fully considered all of the applicants and, following a robust discussion, reached a consensus on its recommendations,” Jason Carter, a member of the nominating committee member, said in a statement Monday.
Democrats had to move quickly because state law required the party decide by Monday whether it would appoint a replacement nominee.
Party members decried the expedited nature of the process during their more than two-hour Zoom meeting to make their choice.
Besides Williams, the other finalists were: state Rep. Park Cannon; city Councilman Andre Dickens; Robert Franklin, president emeritus of Morehouse College; and James “Major” Woodall, president of Georgia’s NAACP.
In the five minutes each was allotted to pitch their candidacies in the public meeting, all talked about the different ways they would try to honor Lewis’ legacy.
“History has its eye on you,” Franklin told the executive committee as he quoted from the hit musical “Hamilton.” “How do we, how do you, follow the extraordinary legacy and the impact of John Robert Lewis?”
Lewis racked up big victories every two-years and often ran unopposed in the majority-Black district. The seat includes the childhood home of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was a pastor.
Williams will be the prohibitive favorite to carry the district in November.
President Donald Trump won only 12% of the district’s vote in 2016.
The Republican running is Angela Stanton-King, a former reality TV star who was pardoned by Trump in February for her role in a car theft ring.