Nikema Williams steps down as chair of Georgia Democratic Party

“That’s exactly what we did. I remain committed to electing Democrats, expanding opportunity and fighting for a future where every Georgian has a voice and stake in our democracy.”

Williams, first elected to the volunteer role in 2019, endorsed the rules change in November, saying it would ensure that “independently wealthy folks” aren’t the only ones who can fill the role.

The typically internal fight over her leadership became a public battle as prominent officials traded open letters vouching for Williams or urging that she step down before her second four-year term ends in 2027.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The infighting surfaced in the hours after the presidential election in November, when a dozen or so Democratic leaders told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Williams should step aside. Some panned the party’s strategy or accused Williams of wasting resources.

Others praised her long record in the volunteer position but said the job demands a full-time staffer who didn’t face restrictions in raising funds for the party, as Williams is because she serves in the U.S. House.

The pushback grew as word trickled out that U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who’s up for reelection in 2026, called Williams and pressed her to stand down. Williams relayed to friends that Ossoff told her he lacked confidence in her leadership.

“I hope this doesn’t have to become public, but this is something I’m absolutely planning to pursue,” Williams claimed Ossoff told her in a phone conversation, according to a text message she sent to her supporters that was obtained by the AJC.

Ossoff has declined comment about their exchange, but his allies didn’t dispute her broader characterization of the conversation.

Williams, meanwhile, mounted a campaign for a Democratic National Committee post earlier this year. She withdrew her bid for a vice chair post in February after she trailed in several rounds of voting.

Some party activists applauded the development. Jessica Weinstein, a longtime Democratic aide and operative, said she’s hopeful Williams’ resignation will “bring about change — and a willingness to evolve with new voices and ideas.”

‘The struggle of a lifetime’

Williams was the first Black woman elected to lead the state party in January 2019 after pledging to target voters often ignored by politicians, keep up an embrace of liberal policies and continue deploying sharp-edged tactics to battle the GOP.

After U.S. Rep. John Lewis died in 2020, Williams won the overwhelming support of party insiders to serve as his replacement on the ballot in a hurried procedural vote that was forced by a pressing legal deadline.

When she easily won the deep-blue district in 2020, Williams maintained her dual role as U.S. House member and party chairwoman with the blessing of Ossoff and other officials. She breezed to another four-year term as party leader in 2023.

But after Trump’s win, a range of party figures demanded a leadership change — including Ossoff, who is one of the top GOP targets in the 2026 midterm.

Some of the pushback accuses Williams and her leadership team of mismanaging resources. Others say her role in Congress limits her ability to raise party funds because of federal restrictions.

Several party leaders have defended her. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson acknowledged frustration over Trump’s win but praised Williams’ “steady leadership,” noting Georgia Democrats outperformed other battleground states.

Williams, for her part, has pointed to the party’s statewide wins in 2020, 2021 and 2022 even as she acknowledged Democrats needed a “course correction” after Trump improved his level of support in more than 130 of Georgia’s 159 counties.

In the email, she urged party activists to remain upbeat as 2026 elections near and said she would remain a member of the party’s state and executive committees.

“As times continue to get hard, as they have been for our communities over the last few months under a Trump/Musk Presidency, remember the words of the late Congressman John Lewis: ‘Do not get lost in a sea of despair,‘” she wrote. “‘Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month or a year. It is the struggle of a lifetime.‘”