News of beloved congressman John Lewis’ death shook his Georgia constituents, those who admired him and those close to him. The former Freedom Rider died Friday following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was 80. Lewis died the same day as his friend and fellow civil rights activist C.T. Vivian.
But in the wake of the somber news, there have been questions about who will replace the 17-term congressman from Atlanta and how the process would work.
Under state law, state Democrats had until 4:30 p.m. Monday to decide if they will replace Lewis, who represents the 5th District of Georgia, on the ballot. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 131 people submitted applications vying for the seat. That number was whittled by the party nominating committee to five candidates, who spoke before the Democratic Party of Georgia executive committee Monday morning via videoconference.
She Spent Nearly Four Years In Prison. Now She’s Running For Congress.
By the afternoon, the executive committee had selected the DPG’s own chairwoman, Georgia state Sen. Nikema Williams. The 41-year-old represents Georgia’s District 39, which includes parts of Atlanta and suburban cities of College Park, East Point, South Fulton, and Union City. She is the first Black woman chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia and is deputy political director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
“We need someone who is not afraid to put themselves on the line for their constituents in the same way congressman Lewis taught us to do,” Williams told the committee on Monday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Source: Who Is Nikema Williams, the Georgia State Senator Replacing John Lewis on the November 2020 Ballot?
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