The Democratic Party of Georgia released the names Thursday of the four candidates who have qualified to run for the position of party chair.

The candidates are R. J. Hadley, who is the organization’s current Vice Chair, as well as Dubose Porter, Doug Stoner and Mary Squires, who have all served in the Georgia General Assembly.

Nikema Williams has been serving as Interim Chair of the party since Mike Berlon stepped down from the position in June. Berlon had faced scrutiny from prominent members of the party after being reprimanded by the Georgia Bar Association.

Williams said the party needs to move forward and find someone who can raise money and raise the profile of Democrats across the state.

“I think one of the key things is someone who has a keen eye for fundraising and who has a proven ability to reach groups that historically have given to the party and might not have for some reason or another over the past few years,” explained Williams.

It will be critical, Williams said, to have the resources to reach Democratic voters in every Georgia community.

“We need someone who can help us continue the fundraising and someone who can make sure that they can talk to all audiences in Georgia,” explained Williams. “We need to make sure that people don’t feel like that they’re left out of the picture and they’re not a part of the equation because it’s going to take all of us to win this in Georgia.”

Saturday, the Democratic Party will be hosting a forum with the candidates for members. They plan to post a summary of each candidate’s responses on their website Monday.

Tags: DuBose Porter, election, Democrats, Georgia Democratic Party, Mike Berlon, Nikema Williams, Doug Stoner, Chair, Mary Squires, R. J. Hadley