U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams has told allies she supports a policy change that could set the stage for her to step down as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia amid pressure from activists, donors and officials that she relinquish the role after Donald Trump’s victory.
She told supporters she will endorse a change in the party’s bylaws that makes the chair job a full-time position, carving a path for her to leave the role within months if the change is adopted by party officials, according to three close allies familiar with her thinking and texts obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Williams has said she supports “a course correction” and structural changes within the party, but she’s declined to comment publicly on the proposed overhaul. Her allies see it as a way to smooth Williams’ exit rather than heed more immediate demands to quit.
The criticism of Williams’ tenure escalated after Trump recaptured Georgia in November, part of a sweep of battleground states that left Democrats demoralized and party leaders struggling for an explanation.
It grew in the hours after the election, 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 said Williams can’t devote the energy needed to run the state party while also representing an Atlanta-based district in the U.S. House.
Officials say one of the critics is U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. Williams relayed to friends that Ossoff told her the morning after the election that he lacked confidence in her leadership as he prepares for a tough reelection battle in 2026.
Williams, first elected to the volunteer post in 2019 and reelected last year, has pointed to her stewardship of the party through the past few election cycles.
Georgia voted Democratic in 2020 for the first time in decades, and Ossoff and Raphael Warnock scored Senate victories in 2021 and 2022.
But this campaign cycle has brought stinging setbacks to Democrats. Trump flipped Georgia back into the GOP column, and Republicans limited Democratic gains in swing suburban legislative districts where the party aimed to make inroads.
Some prominent Democrats, including Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and party Vice Chair Matthew Wilson, have vouched for Williams. Others have notably withheld their public support.
The four other Democrats from Georgia’s U.S. House delegation have not said publicly whether Williams should remain chair of the state party. And Warnock has also sidestepped debate over her leadership, saying only that the issue is a “distraction.”
“Our focus at this point has to be on winning in 2026, and I’m singularly focused on that,” he said Thursday. “I have every confidence that the leaders of our party will get this resolved.”
Ossoff, for his part, hasn’t confirmed publicly whether he called for Williams to step down. But he told reporters at a Gwinnett County event Friday that there were “ongoing conversations” about party leadership.
“After any election it’s always appropriate to regroup, assess the outcome, make sure that we’re reconnecting with our constituents and in the strongest position possible to move forward,” he said. “I’m confident that we are doing that.”
Staff writers Tia Mitchell and Adam Beam contributed to this article.
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