On Jan. 26, Georgia Democrats elected their first-ever black female party chair. Atlanta State Sen. Nikema Williams succeeds Dubose Porter, a former longtime state lawmaker who had led the party since 2013. Williams had been endorsed by fellow Atlantan Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic candidate for governor.
Williams, who has championed progressive causes in her two years in the Senate, made headlines in November 2018. She was among 15 people arrested at the Capitol, during a protest of the state’s handling of the election for governor. The obstruction and disruption charges are still pending.
In a conversation with WABE’s Denis O’Hayer on “All Things Considered,” Williams talked about her plans to restore the Georgia Democrats’ appeal to voters the party lost in the early 2000s—while continuing to energize progressive voters who turned out in big numbers in 2018.
