After much speculation, the 60th Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, is announcing she will run for Georgia Governor in 2026. As of today, Bottoms is the most prominent Democrat to throw her name in the hat. She cites the need for a leader to address the chaos in Washington and support Georgians.
Over the last few months, Bottoms has mentioned she’s considering throwing her name into the proverbial hat. Today, that picture has become clearer. Bottoms believes she is best suited to address the doubt and uncertainty emanating from the federal government.
“The country and Georgians are facing a lot of uncertainty right now. There’s a lot of chaos coming out of Washington, D.C.,” says Bottoms. “People are frustrated, they are anxious, and they’re looking for a leader who’s going to fight on behalf of Georgians. And I’m that leader. And this is that time. This is a time that we all have to step up and do what we are best able to do. And for me, it’s leading, and it’s fighting, and that’s why I’m excited to announce this run for governor.”
Bottoms championed affordable housing, transparency in city government while tackling various social justice issues during her time as Mayor.
Notably, Bottoms chose not to run for re-election in 2021. She became the first Atlanta mayor to not serve a second term since Sam Massell in 1973, after losing to Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr.
In 2022, Bottoms served as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement within former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Policy Priorities
Bottoms says expanding Medicaid in Georgia is a chief priority. The Peach State is only one of nine states in the U.S. that has not expanded Medicaid. Georgia’s refusal to expand Medicaid has also seen nine rural hospitals shut their doors.
“We are leaving close to $710 million on the table,” Bottoms says. “300,000 Georgians don’t have health care because of our refusal to expand Medicaid.
Bottoms also says she wants to implement strategies to help small businesses thrive. She says this includes cracking down on corporate landlords and reducing housing costs. Coupled with that, she says, she will target corporate landlords who are buying up property that drives up rent and housing costs.
“Also, I want to focus on small businesses making sure that they have what they need to succeed in this state, and especially during this uncertain time, our small businesses employ close to 45% of Georgians. We want to make sure that people have what they need to start businesses, to scale businesses and to survive the uncertainty of these economic times.”
Plus, Bottoms emphasizes the need to invest in education, including providing teachers with income tax breaks and ensuring access to quality education. She seeks to address the teacher shortage by investing in education and offering income tax breaks to teachers.
“We know that we continue to have a teacher shortage in this state, and what I know from my time serving as a judge, education impacts everything,” Bottoms says. “There’s a quote from Frederick Douglas that says ‘it’s far easier to raise strong children than to repair broken men.’
Bottoms is also an advocate for pathways to college and career training.
“I think it all speaks to how important education is in this state, and how I will really lean in and do everything that I can possibly do to make sure that our teachers are strong, our kids are strong, and our schools are strong.”
What does the data say?
Bottoms is very popular among Black women, the backbone and moral compass of the Democratic Party, and within Metro Atlanta. But, the key to Democrats’ success in 2026 will be performing very well in Middle and South Georgia.
Throughout those regions, President Donald Trump outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris by an average of 5%-10% in the 2024 Presidential Election. Even though Republican Governors have looked out for the rest of the state, Bottoms believes most Georgians want the same things, despite their zip codes. She stresses the importance of being a good partner with communities throughout the state.
“We want thriving communities,” said Bottoms. “We want safe communities and want economic stability. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Atlanta, if you’re in middle Georgia, or if you are in Valdosta, Albany, Savannah, or Augusta. As you know, Atlanta is the center of a very large metropolitan area. So many of the policies that we put forth in Atlanta are policies that would be good statewide.”
Other challengers
Georgia State Senator Jason Esteves was the first Democrat to formally enter the Georgia Governor’s race. U.S. Representative Lucy McBath paused her campaign due to her husband’s health concerns. Challenges from two-time Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams and former DeKalb County Commissioner, Michael Thurmond, may be on the cards.
As for the Republicans, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones is the presumed front runner. He can largely self-fund his campaign because he serves as an executive in a family-run petroleum and insurance business. Jones announced he has $3 million in cash on hand, according to disclosures. Meanwhile, the Georgia Attorney General, Chris Carr, announced his candidacy in November. Between the announcement and the beginning of the fundraising pause due to the 2025 Legislative Session, Carr raised $2.2 million.