The Ossoff of it all
Three takeaways from my scoop on Sen. Jon Ossoff’s request for Nikema Williams to step down as chair of the Georgia Democrats.
First Things First
Private political jostling spilled into public view on Tuesday afternoon when I broke the news of a phone call between Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rep. Nikema Williams, during which the senator asked the Atlanta congresswoman to step down from her perch as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.
The call comes as Democrats search for answers to an election that delivered Republicans total control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. As I reported last week, Hill Democrats have expressed a combination of anger, disbelief and disappointment that Harris didn’t perform well enough to help members win back the House and at least limit the GOP’s Senate pickups to two instead of the four President-elect Donald Trump’s coattails provided.
Read the report I just posted—no paywall!—for the full story, including why Williams allies feel as she’s received too much blame for last week and not enough credit for helping to make Georgia a battleground state in the first place. But here are a few tidbits that emerged while reporting this story last night:
A source inside the DPG told me there were post-election rumblings for Williams to step aside. But after Ossoff’s request, she feels she can’t step down now. Williams told me last night she hasn’t disclosed her plans to anyone, despite a source close to her telling me she did not plan to step down as party chair.
I’m told by another source close to the DPG that Georgia’s other Democratic senator Raphael Warnock initially planned to defend Williams but that he has instead aligned with Ossoff. “I think we need to get beyond the current distraction and get focused on the work,” Warnock told a small group of reporters after a lengthy pause when Tia Mitchell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Warnock if Williams should step down as chair of the Georgia Democrats.
While Williams has her fair share of critics, I learned there are party officials who are deeply concerned about the optics of replacing the congresswoman because it risks alienating women and Black voters in the state. (FWIW, the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women has called for Williams’ resignation.)
What else should I know about this developing story? What am I missing? Who should I be talking to? Reply to this email—I can keep you anonymous—or ask me for my Signal you’d prefer to chat on an encrypted app.
Here’s what’s happening today:
The House will meet at 12 p.m. with first and last votes expected at 1:30 p.m. House Republicans will hold their leadership elections this afternoon.
The Senate is in and will meet at 12 p.m. with a vote at 12:30 p.m. to limit debate on the nomination of Jonathan Hawley to be US District Judge for the Central District of Illinois. If the nomination advances, senators will vote at 2:30 p.m. to confirm Hawley and limit debate on the nomination of David Huitema to be Director of the Office of Government Ethics. Senate Republicans will hold their leadership elections this morning.
President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will speak at the Classroom to Career Summit this morning before the president meets with President-elect Donald Trump. Biden will then receive his daily intelligence briefing this afternoon.
Vice President Harris will be in Washington where she will receive briefings and hold internal staff meetings.
Do you have questions about the lame-duck session or the incoming Trump presidency? Drop me a line at michael@onceuponahill.com or send me a message below to get in touch and I’ll report back with answers.
In the Know
Erica Lee Carter was sworn in during the vote series on Monday evening to complete the term of her mother, the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). Jackson Lee’s seat will be filled by former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who was elected to a full two-year term last week. Rep. Tony Wied was also sworn in to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI).
The House passed a bill by a vote of 327–75 to repeal two provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The first provision currently curbs benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own while the second in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. The bill—brought to the House floor through a discharge petition, a legislative procedure that automatically forces a vote on a measure when 218 representatives sign on to it—now heads to the Senate for consideration.
A federal court blocked a Louisiana law that requires all public schools to permanently display a government-approved, Protestant version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom from going forward. The judge presiding over the case said the law violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment that guarantees Americans the right to practice any religious belief and engage in any religious rituals they choose. The state’s attorney general said he would appeal the decision to the Fifth Circuit, one of the nation’s most conservative courts in the next step of what’s expected to be a long legal battle.
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