ATLANTA — U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams stepped down as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia on Monday, five months after Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump in the southern swing state spotlighted discontent with her leadership.
Williams’ exit is one of several among Democratic parties as disgruntled partisans seek change after the electorate embraced Trump’s return to the presidency.
Several Georgia Democrats questioned whether someone could serve effectively as an elected official and party chair. The decision comes after the party’s state committee voted Saturday to make the position paid and full-time. Williams agreed to the change, leading her to step down without a vote on her leadership.
“For the party to meet the moment while honoring its commitment to working people, the role of chair cannot remain an uncompensated volunteer position,” Williams said in a statement.
Williams also withdrew her bid in February for vice chair of civic engagement and voter participation for the Democratic National Committee.
The resignation came months after Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff reportedly urged Williams to resign. Ossoff faces reelection in 2026 and will be a top target nationally for the GOP.
Some state Democratic lawmakers said Ossoff made Williams a scapegoat for the Democratic Party’s deeper messaging problems.
Williams was a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Southeast when she joined party leadership, becoming first vice chair in 2011. She was elected as a state senator in 2017 and party chair in 2019.
After U.S. Rep John Lewis died in July 2020, the party’s executive committee selected her to replace Lewis as the nominee, meaning Williams was elected in the strongly Democratic 5th Congressional District without having to win a party primary. Williams has cruised to reelection twice since then.
There had long been some discontent with Williams’ leadership of the Georgia party. As a sitting member of Congress, she is legally barred from raising money for the party’s state campaign account. Raising money and recruiting candidates are two of the top jobs of any party chair. There were also questions about how much time Williams could devote to being a party chair while also attending to congressional duties.
Although Harris won 75,000 more votes in Georgia in 2024 than Biden won in 2020, she lost the state’s 16 electoral votes by 115,000 votes overall, compared to Biden’s victory of less than 12,000. That’s because Trump won 200,000 more votes than he did in 2020.
The Republican turnout surge was particularly apparent outside metro Atlanta, where the complaints about Williams’ leadership have been the loudest. Democrats in those areas are more likely to be dependent on party-raised money and its centrally led and coordinated campaign.
Williams defended her legacy.
“When I was elected to the role of chairwoman in 2019, Georgia was on the cusp of an extraordinary shift that few would buy into,” she said. “Through strategic vision, relentless organizing, and an unwavering belief in the power of our people, we turned this state into the battleground it was always meant to be.”
Georgia’s Democratic Party will elect a new chair. Until then, first Vice Chair Matthew Wilson will serve as interim chair.
