With the death of Georgia Congressman John Lewis this past Friday, the state’s Democratic leadership has named state Party chairwoman Nikema Williams to take his slot on the November general election ballot in the race for the 5th Congressional District, according to RollCall.
Williams has served as a state senator representing the 39th District since 2017. Her husband, Leslie Small, is a former aide of Congressman Lewis’.
Breaking: Georgia Democrats tap Nikema Williams to replace John Lewis on November ballot #gapol https://t.co/pfqWSVhlqC
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) July 20, 2020
A native of Columbus, Georgia, Williams was the Vice President of Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Southeast. She won her spot in the Georgia Senate after the previous seatholder, Vincent Fort, resigned to run an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Atlanta.
Following the 2018 gubernatorial, during which many voting irregularities were uncovered which favored republican Brian Kemp over Democrat Stacey Abrams, Williams was one of sixteen people arrested at the State Capitol. Charges were dropped in June 2019.
Williams tested positive for COVID-19 after reportedly being exposed to the virus by fellow state senator, republican Bruce Thompson.