How the Nikema Williams drama could play out among Georgia Democrats
Today’s newsletter highlights include:
- House Republicans pick Jon Burns for another term as speaker.
- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene backs away from potential federal appointment.
- Georgia Tech reaches enrollment milestone.
The nasty infighting over whether U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams should remain as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia took another twist.
We reported late Tuesday that Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff — likely to be among the most targeted Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections — is among those pressuring Williams to step down and that he called her after the election to personally ask her to resign.
He hasn’t commented publicly on the leadership fight, and his aides would not say on the record whether Ossoff is joining other party figures in demanding a leadership change.
But Williams has plenty of supporters, too. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson signed an open letter that acknowledged frustration with President-elect Donald Trump’s victory but praised Williams’ “steady leadership.”
(House Minority Caucus Chair Billy Mitchell’s name was also on the letter, but he called us this morning to say it was sent without his approval. “I have nothing against Nikema. I wish this debate, this debacle, could have been done in private. But I’m not getting involved in this fight.”)
Meanwhile, Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s other Democratic senator, declined to publicly defend Williams when we caught him in the U.S. Capitol halls. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, the Lithonia Democrat who is close to Ossoff, told us there’s a “groundswell” of party officials calling for Williams to step down but that the decision is hers to make.
So where does this go? Some think the strong-arming could lead Williams to step down. Others speculate that she could stay on. Williams said Tuesday there are internal discussions about her next step.
A potential aftershock if she stays: Williams’ critics could follow Gov. Brian Kemp’s playbook. After he clashed with the Georgia GOP, Kemp started his own political network to carry out the work he wanted the party to focus on.
One option we’ve heard about would involve routing Democratic National Committee dollars that normally would be designated for the state party through a county organization friendly to Ossoff.
Kemp’s political adviser, Cody Hall, took to social media to offer his two cents about the palace intrigue. He identified two rules of life: “You can’t win a land war in Asia” and “Stay the hell out of state party politics.”
And Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon, who served alongside Williams in the state Senate, couldn’t help but take a shot.
“It is somewhat patriarchal, almost plantation owner like, for Jon Ossoff to attempt to publicly dismiss Nikema from a job she was elected to do in her own right,” he posted on social media.
***
GOOD MORNING! County election boards certified their results on Tuesday in a mostly drama-free day. Even Republicans who had refused to certify previous elections got on board this time, but not without some griping.
Other things to know:
- The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a request by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to move the Fulton County election interference case against him to federal court, the AJC’s Bill Rankin reports.
- Rivian, the electric vehicle startup, and German auto giant Volkswagen finalized a joint venture that could help make Rivian’s planned $5 billion factory near Atlanta become a reality, the AJC’s Zachary Hansen reports.
- President-elect Donald Trump nominated Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. He also picked former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. You can keep up with Trump’s appointments here.
- How Republicans flipped Baldwin County for Trump.
***
THE GANG’S ALL HERE. Georgia House Republicans have renominated Speaker Jon Burns to his post and voted to keep the rest of their legislative leadership intact. After Election Day, there was never really a question they were sticking with the status quo.
Antsy Republicans entered the 2024 election worried about losing as many as six competitive House seats after a court-ordered redistricting to include more majority-Black districts and fears that Donald Trump could drag down incumbents in swing areas.
Instead, Republicans limited their losses to a net of two seats and ended the cycle with a healthy 100-80 edge in the chamber.
As expected, Democrat-turned-Republican Mesha Mainor was ousted from a deep-blue Atlanta district and GOP incumbent Ken Vance lost a redrawn Milledgeville-based seat. Democrats also picked up an open middle Georgia district overhauled by the court’s order.
But Republicans defeated Democratic state Rep. Farooq Mughal in Gwinnett County and GOP incumbents held off tough Democratic challenges in the Atlanta suburbs. Even some Democratic lawmakers off the GOP target list barely held on.
The results were a byproduct of an alliance with Gov. Brian Kemp, whose political machine spent more than $2 million in six House swing districts. A pro-Burns PAC spent $1 million and the House GOP caucus spent another $3 million.
(The Kemp-aligned federal PAC separately spent about $1 million to push turnout for Donald Trump.)
Much of the messaging in the legislative districts focused on the agenda approved by Republican lawmakers and championed by Kemp that includes raises for teachers and law enforcement officers, new tax rebates and more funding for schools.
Separately, Kemp’s political network spent another $250,000 to help defeat Democratic District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez in Athens-Clarke County, a frequent target of the governor’s criticism.
Whether Kemp decides to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff or not, his plunge into the 2024 races could be a hint of how he could work to shape the 2026 primaries up and down Georgia’s ballot.
***
HOUSE MATH. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told us on Tuesday that she is not as interested as she once was in joining President-elect Donald Trump’s leadership ranks.
That’s partially because of the reality that House Republicans have a math problem when it comes to ambitious colleagues hoping to make the leap to the incoming administration. Republicans remain shy of the 218 seats needed to secure a majority as 12 competitive House races remain undecided.
Trump has already tapped two sitting House Republicans for roles in his White House. If they take up these new positions, Republicans would be down two votes until those members can be replaced by special elections. That means their seats could be vacant for months, and lawmakers are warning Trump they’d prefer he stop shopping in the House to fill his cabinet.
According to Punchbowl News, GOP Whip Steve Scalise said today he thinks Trump has probably reached the “limit” of nominating House Republicans for administration positions.
“I think what’s most important is the referendum that the American people put on Congress and the Senate and the White House, and that’s passing President Trump’s agenda,” Greene, a Rome Republican, told us. “And I very much want to play a big part in that. I’m one of his most loyal supporters here in the House, and he’s definitely going to need it.”
***
IT’S NOT A RACE, BUT … Here are the Georgia counties who were the quickest to post results on Election Day:
- Floyd
- Greene
- Douglas
- Brantley
- Gordon
The top four counties all posted their initial results within a minute of the polls closing at 7 p.m. Gordon just missed that distinction, posting its results at 7:01:08, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said.
Chatham County wasn’t so lucky. The ballot scanners at Chatham’s seven early voting locations were not shut down properly following the close of early voting, so the machines did not record that the election had ended, the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reports.
The equipment was rebooted and the vote count cards reloaded into them on election night, a process that took hours, according to Chatham Election Board Chairman Tom Mahoney.
Chatham finished the initial count around 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 6.
***
TAKE A BOW. Georgia Tech football fans tore down their goalposts on Saturday after defeating previously unbeaten Miami. On Tuesday, they got another reason to celebrate: they surpassed Georgia State to become the largest school by enrollment in the University System of Georgia.
Fall enrollment across all system institutions increased 5.9% from 2023 to an all time high of 364,725. Georgia Tech grew by more than 5,000 students.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard applause at my enrollment presentation. That was pretty awesome,” said Angela Bell, assistant vice chancellor of research and policy analysis.
Georgia’s enrollment growth was better than the national average of 2.9%. But the biggest difference was freshmen enrollment, where Georgia was up 2.9% while the national average declined by 5%, the AJC’s Eric Stirgus reports.
It was enough to hype up Chancellor Sonny Perdue, the former governor.
“How about that enrollment report? Didn’t’ y’all just want to rush the field and tear down the goalposts?” he said.
***
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” immigration lawyer Chuck Kuck talks about what immigration policy will look like under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Then, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux on how the party must move beyond identity politics. And Hillary Holley, executive director of domestic worker advocacy group Care in Action, talks about how organizers are regrouping.
Be sure to download the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.
On Tuesday’s show, incoming DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson talked about her new role. Then, longtime Republican strategist Stephen Lawson gave his take on President-elect Donald Trump’s transition and new leadership in the state Legislature.
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will speak at the Classroom to Career Summit at the White House then meet privately with President-elect Donald Trump.
- U.S. House Republicans will vote on their caucus leaders for their next two years, including whether Mike Johnson should remain speaker.
- Republicans in the Senate will choose a leader to replace Kentucky U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down from the leadership post but not his seat.
- There will be a hearing in the House on “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” the new term for UFOs.
***
SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:
- Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Dillard, a social media legend and newly minted distance runner.
Transitions:
- State Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Rex, will serve as the 2025 chairwoman of the National Foundation for Women Legislators. The organization just wrapped its annual conference, held in Atlanta.
- Harold Reynolds chaired his final meeting of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday. Chancellor Sonny Perdue presented him with an Audible gift card.
Congrats:
- Mazel tov to our AJC colleague Tamar Hallerman and Mason Chilmonczyk on their weekend wedding. There was hardly a dry eye in the house as the two lovebirds got hitched at the Wahoo Grill in Decatur.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
***
AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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