Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has yet again hinted that she intends to run for governor of Georgia. She confirmed her plans while speaking at the Leading Women Defined Summit on Thursday.
Bottoms, who served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, said in a statement following her remarks to the room of Black women, “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that there is a ‘fierce urgency of now.’ For the people of Georgia, that includes having leaders who aren’t blindly following Trump off of a moral and economic cliff, but focused on the pressing needs in our communities.”
The 55-year-old politician added, “I have previously publicly shared that I was seriously considering a run for governor and expect to make a formal announcement soon.”
If Bottoms were successful in the November 2026 gubernatorial election, she would become the Peach State’s first woman and first Black governor. She would also make history as the nation’s first Black female governor–a feat that Stacey Abrams attempted and failed twice in the past two Georgia gubernatorial races.
Bottoms has been hinting at a run for governor for months. As mayor of Atlanta, she was praised for her leadership, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when the city saw mass riots during the Black Lives Matter uprisings in 2020. She was also critical of Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, for opening up businesses back up during the pandemic, arguing that it was too early and presented a public safety threat. Bottoms also slammed President Donald Trump for making the deadly coronavirus pandemic “worse” and stoking racial tensions.
That same year, the former Atlanta mayor also led the city through tensions between the community and the local police department after the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks. Bottoms said Brooks’ death was “personal to so many people of color.”
“That could have been any one of us,” she told NBC’s “TODAY.” “That could be any of our kids or brothers. In this case it was: It was someone’s father.”
After leaving the mayor’s office, Bottoms worked at the White House as a senior advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the Office of Public Engagement. She remained on the job for about a year. When announcing her role at the White House, President Biden praised Bottoms as a “bright, honorable, tough” leader with great integrity.
“During one of the worst economic downturns the world has ever faced, the Bottoms Administration delivered four years of balanced budgets, without resorting to property tax increases, layoffs or furloughs of City employees,” said Biden. “The Bottoms Administration made historic strides related to criminal justice reform, became a model city for LGBTQ affairs, and reclaimed its title as running the world’s busiest and most efficient airport.”
He added, “She is a visionary leader in bringing equitable outcomes to the forefront of government and commerce.”
