Georgia Democrats Pick State Sen. Nikema Williams To Replace John Lewis On November Ballot
Georgia Democrats on Monday chose 41-year-old State Sen. Nikema Williams to replace civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis on the November ballot. Williams will be bidding for the seat Lewis had held since 1987 before his death on Friday.
“While this system was not perfect, and we were forced to use what the Secretary of State and Georgia law demands, we know that we have the absolute best candidate in Nikema Williams, who will fight hard for Georgians,” Scott Hogan, the executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party, said in a statement.
She was one of five finalists out of 131 applications for the spot, beating out Rep. Park Cannon, Georgia NAACP President James Woodall, Atlanta city councilman Andre Dickens and Robert Franklin, former president of Morehouse College in Atlanta.
Williams is also the Chair of the Georgia Democratic Party and has served in the Georgia Senate since 2017. Williams is almost certain to win her congressional seat, as Georgia’s 5th district is heavily Democratic and covers three-fourths of Atlanta.
She will face off against Republican Angela Stanton-King on Nov. 3, a television personality and motivational speaker in Atlanta. Stanton-King was convicted on federal conspiracy charges in a car theft ring in 2004 but received a pardon from President Trump earlier this year.
Lewis took bold stances during his career, voting against the Gulf and Iraq Wars, and pushing to restore the Voting Rights Act. He has never garnered less than 69% of the vote during his congressional career.
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