Five years ago, Keisha Lance Bottoms tearfully announced she would not seek a second term as mayor of Atlanta, citing the pandemic, protests, and rising violence. Now, she is the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, facing Republican Rick Jackson in a tightly contested race. Her campaign has been marked by a need to defend her mayoral record against portrayals of a city in chaos.
Supporters call her tenure difficult but credit her with balancing the budget and boosting police pay. Critics question her decision to leave office. If elected, she would be Georgia’s first Democratic governor in 20 years and the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.
Polls show a deadlocked race, with Bottoms gaining ground despite heavy Republican ad spending.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing