# U.S. House — District 5 — 2026 Candidates — The GA Files > Where the 2026 candidates for Georgia U.S. House — District 5 stand — bio, prior offices, top donors, positions on DEI, LGBTQ+, abortion, and data centers, plus any scandals. Sourced. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/candidates/us-house-05.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- [← 2026 Candidates](https://thegafiles.com/candidates.html) # U.S. House — District 5 D ### Nikema Williams Democratic incumbent A progressive Democrat who has held Atlanta's 5th District — the seat once held by John Lewis — since 2021. A former state senator and past chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, she sits on the Transportation and Financial Services committees and is a prominent voting-rights voice. She easily won renomination in 2026. #### Previously held - U.S. House, GA-05 (2021–present) - Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia (2019–2024) - Georgia State Senate (2017–2020) #### Top contributors Funded largely by Atlanta corporate and financial PACs — Cox Enterprises, AFLAC, BlackRock, Ernst & Young, and Allstate all give at or near the max to the senior Democrat. Filed with the FEC. - $10,000.00 — Cox Enterprises PAC (media) - $10,000.00 — AFLAC PAC (insurance) - $7,500.00 — BlackRock PAC (finance) - $7,500.00 — Ernst & Young PAC (accounting) - $7,500.00 — Allstate Insurance PAC (insurance) **$478,108** raised · **$48,490** cash on hand — as of **Apr 29, 2026** (FEC latest filing). Source: [FEC — Nikema Williams](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H0GA05224/) #### Where they stand Federal spending & debt A progressive who backs Democratic spending priorities and raising the debt limit to avoid default, favoring social and infrastructure investment over tax cuts. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) · [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) Education Supports expanded public-school and HBCU funding and student-debt relief. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) Healthcare Backs the ACA, Medicaid expansion, and lower drug costs. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) Social Security reform Opposes cuts and supports protecting and expanding Social Security and Medicare. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) Minimum Wage Supports a $15+ federal minimum wage. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) Homelessness Backs federal affordable-housing and homelessness-prevention investment for the Atlanta district. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) Veterans Affairs Supports strengthening VA care and benefits. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) Immigration Supports a path to citizenship and protections for Dreamers. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) Gun Control A strong gun-control supporter backing universal background checks and assault-weapons limits. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) Abortion Supports abortion rights and codifying Roe-era protections. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) LGBTQ+ A consistent supporter of LGBTQ+ equality and the Equality Act. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) DEI A Congressional Black Caucus member and voting-rights advocate who defends diversity and equity programs. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) Marijuana Supports federal marijuana decriminalization and expunging past convictions. Source: [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) Data centers & AI Has not made AI or data centers a focus; her priorities are voting rights, transit, and housing. Source: [Williams — House site](https://nikemawilliams.house.gov/) #### Scandals None documented. [GA Files fact sheet](https://thegafiles.com/NikemaWilliams.html) · [Ballotpedia — Nikema Williams](https://ballotpedia.org/Nikema_Williams) R ### John “Bongo” Salvesen Republican nominee A handyman, festival organizer and the 2024 GOP nominee for this seat, running again in a 2026 rematch. He lost to Nikema Williams in 2024 by more than 70 points in the heavily Democratic Atlanta district. His platform centers on election-security skepticism (paper ballots) and distrust of FDA food-safety decisions. #### Previously held - Handyman / construction - Festival organizer - 2024 Republican nominee, GA-05 #### Top contributors No active FEC fundraising on file — a nominal rematch in a district Williams won with about 85% in 2024. No donor data to report. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) #### Where they stand Federal spending & debt Runs as a small-government conservative; his platform has centered less on fiscal policy than on election-security skepticism (he wants paper ballots) and distrust of FDA food-safety decisions. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Education Has not detailed an education platform. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Healthcare Has not detailed a healthcare plan; voices distrust of federal regulators. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Social Security reform Has not detailed a Social Security position. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Minimum Wage Has not detailed a minimum-wage position. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Homelessness Has not addressed homelessness or housing. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Veterans Affairs Has not detailed veterans policy. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Immigration Aligns broadly with GOP border-enforcement positions. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Gun Control A Second Amendment supporter opposing new restrictions. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Abortion Aligns with the anti-abortion position of his party. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) LGBTQ+ Has not detailed LGBTQ+ positions. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) DEI Aligns with GOP opposition to DEI mandates. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Marijuana Has not staked out a marijuana position. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) Data centers & AI Has not addressed AI or data-center policy. Source: [Ballotpedia — John Salvesen](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Salvesen) #### Scandals None documented. [⬇ Share image](https://thegafiles.com/share/candidates/us-house-05.png) [⬇ Download for offline](https://thegafiles.com/candidates/us-house-05.offline.html) Every entry is drawn from published reporting, official records, or the candidate's own statements, with sources on each item. Policy summaries are condensed from that reporting and reflect the candidate's stated positions; where a matter is an allegation or unresolved, that is noted, and inclusion is not a finding of guilt. Contributor figures are early/partial where the official itemized filings (Georgia Ethics Commission) are still being compiled. Corrections welcome via the contact link in the footer. Last updated 2026-06-17.