U.S. Representative John Lewis, Civil Rights Pioneer, Passes Away at 80

As the nation mourns the passing and honors the legacy of U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA), a leader of the civil rights movement, attention is turning to what will happen to Rep. Lewis’ now vacant seat in Congress. We are sharing this CNN article as a helpful overview for our members.

“As the remembrances poured in Saturday for John Lewis, the 5th Congressional District in Georgia he served for decades is left without a representative in Congress.

In June, Lewis, who ran unopposed for his 17th term in 2018, won the Democratic nomination for his seat by a resounding 87% of the vote over challenger Barrington Martin II.

But his death leaves the Georgia Democratic Party with the task of naming a nominee to face off against Republican Angela Stanton-King, a criminal justice reform advocate and former reality star, in the general election for this overwhelmingly Democratic seat. Martin told CNN that he plans to apply and fully expects to be considered for the nomination.

Under Georgia law, the state executive committee of the Democratic Party can appoint a replacement nominee, according to Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs.

The party will have to inform the Georgia secretary of state’s office whether they intend to appoint a replacement by Monday, and then inform the office who their replacement nominee is shortly thereafter, Fuchs told CNN in a statement.”

Update: State Senator Nikema Williams to Replace John Lewis on November Ballot (NPR reporting)