After a full review process of 131 applicants and a vote by the Executive Committee, the Democratic Party of Georgia announced that the Democratic nominee for the Fifth Congressional District will be Nikema Williams.
DPG General Counsel Sachin Varghese said:
“This was a very difficult decision to make so soon after Congressman Lewis’s passing, and the Executive Committee is grateful to every applicant who submitted their name for consideration. We have done our best to keep this process open and fair, while working within the strict framework and timeline set forth in Georgia law. After discussion and voting, the Executive Committee agreed that Nikema Williams’ years of service to the Fifth District and commitment to justice make her the best possible candidate for this role, with a very important legacy to uphold.
“When Nikema Williams decided to seek the nomination she recused herself from her role as chairwoman, handing off the process to other party leaders including myself. Today she recused herself from the vote and the discussion of the candidates among Executive Committee members, and was treated the same as every other candidate.”
DPG Executive Director Scott Hogan said:
“As a Party, we remain committed to upholding Congressman Lewis’ legacy of fighting for justice and for free and fair elections for every Georgian. We acknowledge that despite our best efforts here, both law and circumstance require us to use a system that falls short of a full district-wide election to ensure that we have a strong Democratic nominee on the ballot in November. 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.
“We congratulate Nikema on this appointment, and look forward to working with her in this new capacity as we uphold and build on Congressman Lewis’ legacy and elect Democrats across Georgia this November.”
Below are the recorded vote totals from today’s Executive Committee:
- After a nonbinding poll of 41 votes, Nikema Williams had 37 votes, Park Cannon had 2 votes, and James “Major” Woodall had 1 vote, with one abstention.
- Upon reaching a 50% + 1 majority, the Executive Committee voted to approve Nikema Williams as the nominee.
