2 Georgia Democrats are competing Tuesday to serve the final month of Rep. John Lewis' term
Georgia's 5th Congressional District is holding a runoff election Tuesday in which two Democrats are vying for the chance to serve a month in Congress, before handing the seat off to Nikema Williams, the Democratic state senator who won the seat Nov. 3. In Tuesday's election, former Atlanta City Council member Kwanza Hall and former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin — the top two vote-getters from September's seven-person primary — are competing go serve out the remainder of the late Rep. John Lewis' (D-Ga.) final term in office, which ends Jan. 3.
Lewis, a civil rights icon and the last living speaker from the 1963 March on Washington, died from pancreatic cancer in July at age 80. He had represented the Atlanta-area seat in Congress since 1987. The winner of Tuesday's runoff — Hall, 49, or Franklin, 66 — won't do much more than vote on a stopgap budget and, if the stars align, a COVID-19 relief package. "It's about moral leadership at a time of national crisis," Franklin said, pointing to the examples from Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr.
Turnout isn't expected to be high — fewer than 31,000 people voted in September's primary, The Associated Press notes. Franklin has raised $282,000 for his bid, including a $65,000 loan, and Hall has raised $194,000.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Do you have to pay taxes on student loan forgiveness?The Explainer As of 2026, some loan borrowers may face a sizable tax bill
-
Planning a move? Here are the steps to take next.the explainer Stay organized and on budget
-
What should you look out for when buying a house?The Explainer Avoid a case of buyer’s remorse
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
