ATLANTA — The race for Georgia governor is heating up. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms officially announced her candidacy for governor on Tuesday.
Bottoms has said that she has been thinking about running, but tells Channel 2’s Karyn Greer, that it’s now official.
If Bottoms wins, it would make her not only the first Black governor in Georgia’s history, but also the first woman.
“People are looking for a fighter, and they don’t care whether it’s a Black woman. They don’t care about race, gender. They don’t care about party affiliation. People want someone who’s going to fight for them,” Bottoms told Greer.
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Bottoms was the first Atlanta mayor to serve in all three branches of government. The Atlanta native said her rural Georgia roots will help her fight for Georgians across the state.
“I go back in Georgia at least five generations. We’re able to trace our family to a plantation in Crawfordville, Georgia. So, I know the hope and possibilities that this state has meant for my family,” Bottoms said.
Bottoms served one term as mayor, leaving to work for former President Joe Biden and his administration. The decision left many in metro Atlanta wondering why she did not seek a second term.
“Let’s talk about your tenure as mayor. What do you feel about how you did? What would your report card be?” Greer asked Bottoms.
“I’m very proud of my service as mayor. I served as mayor three years while Donald Trump was president. I completed my four-year term very proud of what we were able to deliver historic pay raises for police and firefighters in the midst of an historic economic downturn. I left the city with $180 million in the bank, four years of balanced budgets, no property tax increases, no furloughs,” she said.
“You had a pretty contentious relationship with the governor during COVID,” Greer said to Bottoms.
“My relationship with Brian Kemp didn’t catch headlines when we greet each other warmly and ask about how each other’s families are doing. It didn’t get that much attention when we work together to deliver economic stability for people across the state. But certainly, during COVID, that was something that we did not agree on,” Bottoms said.
Is she ready to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle?
“I’m ready to work with whomever is willing to work with me to make sure that Georgians are safe and secure and have what they need to thrive. And if that is Donald Trump, if that’s the Trump administration, whomever it may be, I don’t care about party affiliation. I want to be able to deliver for the people of Georgia,” Bottoms said.
Bottoms is the third Democratic candidate to jump into the governor’s race along with State Sen. Jason Esteves and former church pastor Olu Brown.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is the only Republican candidate so far. Other state Republican leaders have had their eye on the US Senate race.
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