SUWANEE, Ga. — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff on Friday briefly addressed the rumor and rumblings that some state Democrats, including himself, want to see state Democratic Party chair U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams to step down from the role.
The senator acknowledged that there are "ongoing conversations among Democrats in Georgia" about the direction of the party, but that, "I don't have anything public to add today."
Sen. Ossoff took questions while at a news conference on a mental health counseling initiative for Georgia students in Suwanee.
"I'm confident that Georgia Democrats are in a strong position moving forward. I'm cognizant that I'm here at a public school on official business with a range of officials behind me, including some who don't engage in partisan politics," Ossoff said. "So I'm gonna limit my discussion of this in this sitting."
For breaking live coverage and news conferences you can download 11Alive+, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
The future of Rep. Williams as the chair of the state Democratic Party has become a point of focus since Vice President Kamala Harris' election loss to President-elect Donald Trump, both nationally and in Georgia.
State party officials addressed the controversy in a statement earlier this week.
"While we’re all disappointed and still processing last week’s election results, Georgia Democrats made a strong showing in the face of a national red wave that saw Donald Trump sweep every battleground state,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Executive Director Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye. “We increased Kamala Harris's vote total in Georgia over President Biden’s in 2020 by more than 70,000 votes — more than all other battleground states combined — and cemented the Peach State’s status as a battleground state heading into next election cycle."
Though Democrats gained two seats in the Georgia House, and the state Senate balance remained unchanged, the Associated Press reported this week that the party had hoped to make "larger gains."
The Young Democrats of Georgia and, in an open letter, several Democratic state House candidates who lost their races were among the groups to call on Rep. Williams to resign as chair of the state party. Independent congressional journalist Michael Jones reported that Ossoff personally asked Williams to step down, which Williams was reportedly not considering doing.
Former state representative and Cobb County Democratic Party chair Erick Allen released an open letter in support of Williams, writing "it's critical that we avoid placing blame and scapegoating without a thoughtful analysis." She also, perhaps unexpectedly, received an endorsement from Georgia Republican Party chairman Josh McKoon, who called her an "accomplished leader, even if we strongly disagree on politics."
Ossoff on Friday said after an election it is "normal and appropriate to regroup and assess the outcome, make sure that we're reconnecting with our constituents in the strongest position possible to move forward."
"I'm confident that we are doing that," Ossoff said.
Williams herself spoke with Jones, who writes the Once Upon a Hill Substack, that "there are a lot of people with a lot of comments that are not involved in the party, never have been and are not looking at what's in the best interest of the party."