Mary Norwood, an avowed independent. Critics claim she’s a closet Republican. Her supporters say, ‘It’s her time and she deserves to be mayor.’
Norwood began her journey to the mayor’s office in 2008 after two terms on the Atlanta City Council. In 2009, she came within 741 votes of defeating Kasim Reed in the December runoff for mayor.
She remained out of elected office until her return in 2013 when she ran for Atlanta City Council, Post 2/At-Large. She was successful and began laying the groundwork for her run for mayor in 2017.
In August 2017, Mary Norwood qualified a second time to run for mayor of the City of Atlanta. When she qualified, she was the leading candidate, according to the polls.
In July of 2017, it was reported by SDR Consulting, Inc. and an 11Alive poll that the leading candidate was Mary Norwood with 30 percent of all likely voters. In second place was Ceasar Mitchell with 12 percent of the vote. Keisha Lance Bottoms was in third place with 10 percent of all likely voters. The July polling was consistent with April polling results that touted Mary Norwood as the candidate to beat.
A late-October poll placed Bottoms with an approximate two percent advantage and Norwood was in second but it was considered a statistically tied race between the candidates.
The frontrunner Norwood, on Nov. 7, would finish in second place. Mary Norwood received 20,144 votes, 21% of the 96,770 votes cast in the mayor’s race. Mary Norwood was five percentage points and 5,000 votes out of first place. That’s electoral history.
The question voters are asking is, “Which of the two candidates best represents the Atlanta they believe in?”
For the next four weeks, nearly 50,000 Atlantans who cast votes for the remaining eight candidates will decide that question.
• And finally, will you represent the Atlanta that represents what I believe in?
