Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has announced her intention to run for governor of Georgia during an appearance at this year’s Leading Women Defined Summit. Bottoms, Atlanta’s 60th mayor is a graduate of Douglas High School, FAMU, and Georgia State University, served as a senior advisor to President Joe Biden and resigned the position, beating Donald Trump to the punch, who would go on to falsely claim that he fired her when he took office.
“A day late and a dollar short,” Bottoms wrote on social media. “My resignation from the President’s Export Council was submitted January 4, effective yesterday.”
Georgia’s current governor, Brian Kemp will step down in 2026 and a front-runner has yet to emerge in what could be a wide-open race. Stacey Abrams could also enter the race after two attempts at defeating Kemp came up short.
“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.” Bottoms said in an interview with BET.
Bottoms recently served in the Biden Administration as the principal national advisory committee on international trade. The council advised the president on government policies and programs that impact the U.S. trade performance. Additionally, the council promoted export expansion and was part of a forum to discuss trade-related issues within the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.
Prior to her role at the White House, Bottoms decided against running for a second term as Atlanta’s mayor. During her first and only term, Bottoms faced critical issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and uprisings following George Floyd’s murder.
Bottoms and Kemp clashed over how to lead during the pandemic and several incidents of police brutality and violence occurred during protests.
Instead of seeking a second term, Bottoms threw her support behind now Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens who won the election.
U.S. Representative Lucy McBath, who considered a run for governor of Georgia, has paused her explorations due to her husband’s current treatments for cancer.
This is a breaking news story, and will be updated as the news unfolds.
