Keisha Lance Bottoms Launches Bid to Become Georgia’s First Atlanta Mayor Elected Governor

Keisha Lance Bottoms has launched a campaign to become the first Atlanta mayor to win Georgia’s governorship, taking aim at a symbolic 600-step climb from City Hall to the gold-domed state Capitol. Speaking after a recent event in Columbus, she said she intends to win votes across the state and stressed that history alone shouldn’t prevent her bid.

Competitive Democratic primary

Bottoms must first navigate a crowded Democratic primary in May against six rivals. Her opponents include former state senator Jason Esteves; DeKalb County CEO and former state labor commissioner Michael Thurmond; former Republican lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan, who switched parties; and state representatives Ruwa Romman and Derrick Jackson. Each candidate highlights different wings of the party — suburban versus urban, progressive versus centrist, and fresh faces versus established figures.

Strengths and vulnerabilities

Bottoms enters the race with name recognition, executive experience as Atlanta mayor, and national fundraising ties developed after being vetted as a possible vice-presidential pick and later serving in the Biden administration. She is also the only Black woman in the Democratic primary, a key fact in a state where Black women are a reliable part of the Democratic coalition.

Supporters point to concrete achievements from her mayoral tenure: building city reserves to $180 million, avoiding property tax increases, awarding raises to police and firefighters, and helping create or preserve roughly 7,000 affordable housing units. At a Columbus event, attendee Sheana Browning cited Bottoms' record and identity as reasons for support, and praised her pledge to raise state employee pay.

But critics — including Republicans and some fellow Democrats — say she is vulnerable to attacks on how she handled public safety, civil unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic as mayor, and on her decision in 2021 not to seek a second term. Republican strategist Brian Robinson has called Bottoms "unelectable," and rival Jason Esteves has accused her of abandoning the city at a time of crisis.

The shadow of 2020

Bottoms' national profile rose during the turbulent summer of 2020, when she condemned violence and property damage during Black Lives Matter demonstrations and implored people to "go home." That speech drew widespread attention and helped elevate her as a potential national figure.

But the summer also included tragic and chaotic episodes that continue to shadow her record. After the police killing of Rayshard Brooks and subsequent criminal charges against two officers, Atlanta experienced days of unrest. On July 4, 2020, an 8-year-old girl was fatally shot near a Wendy's that had been set on fire after earlier clashes. A so-called "blue flu" — officers calling in sick — further strained the city. Critics argue Bottoms' decisions during that period exposed public-safety weaknesses; Bottoms counters that she sought to balance public order with community concerns and that her administration ultimately delivered results.

Why this race matters

Georgia remains a battleground state. Democrats hope to capture the governor's office for the first time since 1998, but recent statewide results show the challenge: Gov. Brian Kemp beat Stacey Abrams in 2022, and 2024 saw a boost in Republican turnout. Democrats say they need a nominee who can attract independents and some moderate Republicans.

Bottoms is pitching a platform focused on affordability and practical policies: she proposes exempting teachers from state income tax, expanding reasonably priced housing, and taking action against large corporate owners of single-family rental homes to help cool housing costs. She emphasizes her executive record and national network as proof she can compete statewide.

"Who I am is a battle-tested leader," Bottoms told supporters, adding she knows "what it's like to go into battle" and to stand up to national opponents.

The primary will test whether Bottoms' advantages — name recognition, executive experience and ties to national donors — outweigh lingering questions about her mayoral tenure and electability in a statewide general election. The campaign is likely to center on competing visions for public safety, economic affordability and which Democrat can best expand the party's coalition in Georgia.