Georgia Democrats unveil 5 finalists to replace John Lewis' name on November ballot
As state law dictates, Georgia Democrats on Monday unveiled a list of five finalists to replace the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on the November ballot and — because the district is so safely Democratic — likely fill his seat in the House.
The names include Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon, Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens, the former president of Morehouse College, Robert Franklin, State Sen. Nikema Williams, and Rev. James "Major" Woodall, the president of the Georgia NAACP. The candidates were vetted and selected out of a pool of 131 applicants by a seven-member panel that included former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, among others. The next step will be for the Democratic Party of Georgia Executive Committee to meet virtually, hear from the candidates, and select a nominee.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
People pushing for that strategy would like to see a placeholder representative who agrees to serve a sole two-year term or another candidate who is willing to resign in January, clearing a path for a special election. But it looks like the Democratic Party will go through with the original plan. "Whomever wants to run against the pick can," said State Sen. Jen Jordan. "Two years is nothing. Whomever it is will face multiple challengers in 2022." Read more at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
-
Political cartoons for February 20Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include just the ice, winter games, and more
-
Sepsis ‘breakthrough’: the world’s first targeted treatment?The Explainer New drug could reverse effects of sepsis, rather than trying to treat infection with antibiotics
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
