Keisha Lance Bottoms, Former Atlanta Mayor, Enters Georgia Governor’s Race

She now becomes the most prominent Democrat to jump into a pivotal election that could determine the future of her party’s momentum in Georgia.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms would become the state's first woman governor and the nation's first Black woman governor if she wins the 2026 gubernatorial race in Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Keisha Lance Bottoms, who previously served as the mayor of Atlanta, announced on Tuesday that she’s running for governor of Georgia, establishing herself as the highest-profile Democrat in a contest that will test whether Georgia’s swing-state status holds.

Bottoms is taking direct aim at former President Donald Trump, who carried Georgia in 2024 but has had a rocky relationship with the state’s Republican leaders, including Governor Brian Kemp. She framed her campaign as a remedy to the “chaos in Washington,” pointing to her experience guiding Atlanta through Trump’s first term as an asset.

“This is a time filled with uncertainty and anxiety for Georgians,” she said in an interview on Monday ahead of her campaign launch. “People want a leader who’s willing to stand up and fight for them.”

Governor Kemp is unable to seek re-election due to term limits.

During her term as mayor from 2018 through 2022, Bottoms faced defining moments that included steering Atlanta through the outbreak of COVID-19 and the wave of protests following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Should she win, Bottoms would become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States, and the first woman and first Black individual to serve as Georgia’s governor. Her candidacy became official with a campaign video released early Tuesday, confirming what had long been expected.

Among her top policy priorities is expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act—a move that could bring financial relief to struggling rural hospitals and offer government-funded health coverage to many low-income adults. She also pledged to eliminate Georgia’s state income tax for teachers.

Chris Carr, the current Republican attorney general of Georgia, is the most prominent Republican to have announced a run thus far. Other potential GOP candidates include Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones. Stacey Abrams, who represented the Democrats in the gubernatorial races of 2018 and 2022, is also considered a possible entrant.

Democratic State Senator Jason Esteves, a former member of the Atlanta school board, entered the race back in April.

Representative Lucy McBath, a Democrat who serves a suburban district in the Atlanta metro area, had been widely expected to join the race. But in late March, she announced she would not run, at least for now, citing her husband’s illness.

Winning the governor’s seat has long been the elusive prize for Georgia Democrats, who have gained significant ground in recent years.

The party capitalized on the state’s rapidly growing and diversifying population, as well as growing disapproval of Trump among suburban voters, to help President Joe Biden narrowly carry Georgia in 2020. That same coalition helped elect two Democratic U.S. senators in early 2021.

Senator Raphael Warnock, one of those Democrats, narrowly secured a second term in a runoff election in 2022.

However, Georgia returned to Trump’s column in the 2024 presidential election. The Republican Party continues to hold majorities in both houses of the state legislature and occupies every statewide elected position.

Before serving as mayor, Bottoms worked as a city councilmember and judge in Atlanta. In 2022, she joined the Biden administration as a senior adviser, focusing on outreach to community and business stakeholders. The following year, President Biden appointed her to the President’s Export Council, a group that advises on matters of global trade.

As Atlanta mayor during the pandemic, Bottoms clashed frequently with the state’s Republican leaders—especially Governor Kemp—over his push to rapidly reopen businesses and lift public health mandates. Bottoms imposed a mask requirement in Atlanta, defying the state’s guidance. Kemp responded by suing her and the Atlanta City Council.

During the nationwide protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Atlanta saw both peaceful demonstrations and violent unrest. Bottoms was lauded for her balance of compassion and firmness.

“We’re all angry,” she said in a statement replayed frequently across media. “This hurts everyone here. But what are you achieving by destroying this city? You've lost all credibility now. This isn't how we change America.”

That moment propelled her to national visibility, unusual even for the mayor of a major U.S. city. At one point, she was considered as a possible running mate for Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign.

Still, some critics contended that the national spotlight pulled her attention away from mounting issues in Atlanta. Like many cities, Atlanta experienced a sharp increase in violent crime during the pandemic.

Her relationship with the police department deteriorated after the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, by a white police officer in Atlanta just weeks after George Floyd’s death. The officer was quickly dismissed and charged with murder. The police chief resigned in the aftermath.

The Wendy’s parking lot where Brooks was killed became a flashpoint for renewed protest. The restaurant was eventually set ablaze, and a tragic shooting by an armed group resulted in the death of an 8-year-old girl.

Bottoms faced criticism for her decision not to conduct a nationwide search for a new police chief. Later, the city’s Civil Service Board reinstated the officer involved in Brooks’s death, citing a violation of his due process rights. Criminal charges against him were eventually dropped.

In May 2021, Bottoms abruptly announced that she would not seek re-election. In a heartfelt press conference, she detailed the many challenges of her term—beginning with a contentious election victory in 2017, followed by a massive cyberattack on the city’s government systems, and the ongoing fallout from a federal corruption probe targeting senior officials from the prior administration of Mayor Kasim Reed.

Reflecting on her years in office, Bottoms said Monday that she remains proud of how she led the city through back-to-back crises. “I have a track record,” she said, “of being a battle-tested leader in the toughest of times.”