Nikema Williams seeks DNC post amid uncertain future as state party chair

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Washington’s weather could impact today’s presidential election certification.
• Gov. Brian Kemp is skipping the World Economic Forum in Davos this year.
• Georgia Republicans helped elect Mike Johnson as U.S. House speaker.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams is running for a post on the Democratic National Committee, a campaign that if successful could make the thorny internal effort to oust her as chair of the Georgia Democratic Party a lot less complicated.

The Atlanta lawmaker pulls double duty as both a congresswoman and the state party chair, a volunteer role that is unpaid. She has been under pressure to step aside from the latter role after President-elect Donald Trump won Georgia in November. State party insiders have been working to clear a path for that to happen by considering a rule change that would make the party chair a paid full-time position.

Williams is now running to be vice chair of civic engagement and voter participation for the DNC. Should Williams win, presumably she would step aside from her state gig to focus on the national initiative, clearing the way for local activists to pick her successor.

“This is a moment that demands bold leadership, and I’m ready to step up,” Williams wrote in her appeal to fellow Democrats, adding that her goals include expanding “voter protection infrastructure” nationwide and new investments in grassroots organization.

But she doesn’t have a clear path to the vice-chair gig. Among her opponents is state Sen. Sheikh Rahman of Lawrenceville, who entered the race weeks ago and has been collecting endorsements ever since.

And three others secured enough signatures to qualify for a weekend virtual debate for the job: Former New York State Rep. Michael Blake; U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio; and Reyna Walters-Morgan, who served as the DNC’s director of civic engagement. Williams will also take part in that forum.

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Kim Fuller, niece of the late President Jimmy Carter, taught Sunday school yesterday at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.

GOOD MORNING. Former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral is Thursday. Georgia’s legislative session starts a week from today. President-elect Donald Trump’s term starts two weeks from today.

Here are five things to know:

• Carter’s niece, Kim Carter Fuller, taught Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains on Sunday, the first service since the former president and longtime member died last week at the age of 100, the AJC’s Shaddi Abusaid reported.
• Speaking of Plains, the tiny Georgia town is preparing for a presidential farewell that will last nearly a week, the AJC’s Joe Kovac Jr. reports.
• President Joe Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic philanthropist George Soros, actor-director Denzel Washington and 16 others.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a plan that could lead to the expansion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the AJC’s Meris Lutz and Drew Kann report.
• Georgia’s Jan. 6, 2021, defendants are hoping for a presidential pardon, writes the AJC’s Chris Joyner.

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WEATHER WATCH. The U.S. House and Senate are scheduled to carry out their constitutionally mandated duty today to count Electoral College votes and certify that Donald Trump will be the next president. But Mother Nature is not cooperating.

Up to 10 inches of snow could fall in Washington today, which may affect attendance as lawmakers travel from their homes. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a close ally of Trump, was not happy that some colleagues took a risk by going home this weekend despite the forecasts.

“Many members of Congress left town this weekend even though they were told to stay,” she wrote on X over the weekend. “I’m here and will walk to the Capitol if I have to.”

The joint session is scheduled to begin today at 1 p.m., but there could be delays if either chamber has issues reaching the quorum needed to conduct business.

Unlike four years ago, when Republicans planned to challenge Joe Biden’s electoral votes in Georgia and several other swing states, this year’s counting is expected to be much less controversial and should go quickly.

The violence that occurred when the Capitol was breached by pro-Trump supporters upset about Biden’s victory is also not expected to be repeated. Their man won this time, and Democrats are not questioning the election outcome. Still, security is tight with additional fencing and road closures.

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State Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming, represents the 27th District.

TEA LEAVES. A parlor game for the upcoming Georgia legislative session is already underway as Capitol-watchers look for clues, no matter how subtle, about which members of the General Assembly could be readying a statewide run for 2026.

An eagle-eyed tipster recently flagged the X profile of Sen. Greg Dolezal’s campaign account, which now says “Dolezal for Georgia.” His X handle remains “Dolezal4Senate.”

“Sounds statewideish to me,” our tipster reported.

Dolezal, R-Cumming, is often mentioned in the group of possible candidates for higher office in the Senate.

Feel free to send other 2026 clues and observations our way.

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In 2018, former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the Rev. Raphael Warnock (left) was leading the service.

RICKETY CHAIR. It was a cold fall day when U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, made the pilgrimage to Plains to pray with Jimmy Carter.

Warnock recounted that story to his congregation on Sunday, one week after the former president died at the age of 100 after 22 months in hospice care in his beloved hometown.

Warnock, a Democrat, brought with him his close friend Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson and a parishioner of his church. One image in particular stuck with Warnock.

“I went into his office and I saw that old rickety chair,” Warnock told his flock on Sunday. “It looked like your granddaddy’s chair. My granddaddy’s chair.”

In other words, it was no ostentatious rocker or gilded recliner. It looked like it could have belonged to anyone — someone, Warnock said, who lived with humility but gave back in multitudes.

“I don’t care who else tries to trash talk Jimmy Carter — he poured his life out to God, and God preserved him,” Warnock said, nodding to the faces in the pews that included several rows of Carter’s descendants.

“Can I tell you something else? You stand in awe of the fact that he lived to be 100. But you can live to be 100 and never give anything to anybody,” Warnock said. “Thank God he didn’t just live to be 100. He gave 100.”

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Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced his bid for governor late last year.

CARR TALK. Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, the earliest entrant into the 2026 governor’s race, is looking to make the most of his time as the sole announced candidate with a new biographical video his campaign released over the weekend.

Along with laying out his record as AG and the general themes of his candidacy to “Keep Georgia Strong,” Carr also included photos of past and current Republicans he’d likely emulate in office. Along with Gov. Brian Kemp and his former boss, the late Sen. Johnny Isakson, the video features former Govs. Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue, along with former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

The one Republican noticeably absent from the video is President-elect Donald Trump, whose endorsement in the GOP primary could hold plenty of sway with Republican voters in the state he just won.

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For the past two years Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He's not going this year.

NO GO. For the last two years, Gov. Brian Kemp journeyed to the ultra-elite World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos to pitch Georgia to political leaders and business tycoons. But he’s not making the transatlantic trip this year.

The second-term governor is instead preparing for his State of the State speech and readying his legislative agenda while juggling his new role as chair of the Republican Governors Association.

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Arlene Beckles will be among the 22 new members of the Georgia General Assembly this year.

BARBADOS TO ATLANTA. Arlene Beckles grew up in Barbados, pitching marbles at the bus stop with the boys before school. The oldest of five children, she moved to New York City in the mid-1980s to work as a housekeeper and babysitter to send money back to her family.

Starting next week, the Gwinnett County Democrat will take her place as one of the 22 new members of the Georgia General Assembly.

In between, Beckles earned multiple degrees, moved to Georgia and got elected to the Norcross City Council. She works remotely for a South Florida hospital system.

Beckles got her start in politics in 2008, when she met former Norcross Mayor Bucky Johnson. She volunteered for his campaign and got interested in politics herself. She first ran for a city council seat in 2012 and lost. But she won when she tried again in 2020. She ran for the state House of Representatives last year, winning a runoff in the Democratic primary.

During her campaign, Beckles said she heard the most from union members who were concerned about the cost of health insurance. But she doesn’t have any specific legislation she’s targeting in her first year.

“I know folks have their own agendas, all that stuff. But I just want to understand what’s going on, see what’s on the table and just work to get some stuff done,” she said. “For me, I’m straight down the middle. I don’t lean either way. If it’s good for one it should be good for all.”

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SPEAKER SQUEAKER. It took a while, but eventually all Republicans in Georgia’s congressional delegation voted to keep Mike Johnson as House speaker.

The initial holdout was U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, who stayed silent not once but twice when his name was called to vote during a tense roll call on Friday. But Clyde eventually walked up to the rostrum and quietly told the clerk he was voting for Johnson, the AJC’s Tia Mitchell reported.

Johnson was elected speaker with 218 votes — the exact number needed.

“While I still have concerns about his leadership, I voted for Speaker Johnson,” Clyde posted on X. “My focus is — and always has been — successfully delivering President Trump’s agenda. My conservative colleagues and I will hold the Speaker accountable to rescue our great country.”

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Dr. William Foege is a guest today on the "Politically Georgia" show.

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” you’ll hear from Dr. William Foege, who was appointed to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by then-President Jimmy Carter in 1977. The Washington Post’s Marianna Sotomayor will also join the show to discuss Friday’s speaker vote, the new Republican majority in Washington and the anniversary of Jan. 6.