Nationwide — Keisha Lance Bottoms, who made historical past because the second African American lady to be mayor of Atlanta, has formally entered the race for governor of Georgia. She introduced her candidacy Tuesday morning with a marketing campaign video highlighting her working-class roots, household values, and a pointy critique of former President Donald Trump.
Within the video, Bottoms, who was additionally a senior official within the Biden White Home and Democratic Nationwide Committee, accuses Trump of harming the financial system and jeopardizing Medicare and Social Safety. “Donald Trump is a catastrophe for our financial system and our nation,” she says, pledging to increase Medicaid in Georgia, assist educators and first responders, sort out rising housing prices brought on by company landlords, and put money into profession coaching and faculty pathways for youth.
Talking to NBC News forward of her announcement, Bottoms pointed to what she known as “Trump 2.0’s catastrophic influence” on Georgia, noting job losses tied to Trump’s tariff insurance policies on the Port of Savannah and layoffs on the Atlanta-based CDC. “The whole lot Trump touches—from our retirement accounts to job stability—has negatively affected Georgia,” she mentioned.
Bottoms started her political profession as a municipal decide and Atlanta Metropolis Council member earlier than changing into mayor in 2018. Throughout her tenure, she oversaw town’s pandemic response and managed protests following the killing of George Floyd and the police capturing of Rayshard Brooks. She additionally fought with Republican Governor Brian Kemp over native COVID security measures, defying a state ban to uphold Atlanta’s masks mandate.
On the problem of crime, Bottoms defended her document, saying the rise in violence was a nationwide pattern post-COVID. She cited her administration’s use of federal aid funds to launch applications just like the Workplace of Violence Prevention and youth summer time job initiatives aimed toward curbing violence.
Bottoms additionally made headlines as mayor for halting town’s cooperation with ICE, in protest of the Trump administration’s household separation coverage. Whereas she reaffirmed that violent offenders ought to face justice no matter immigration standing, she criticized the administration’s deportation of nonviolent people, like undocumented college students stopped for minor infractions.
Presently, probably the most distinguished Democrat within the race, Bottoms might face Republican Legal professional Normal Chris Carr and different GOP contenders. If elected, she would grow to be Georgia’s first Democratic governor in additional than 20 years. Emphasizing her broad enchantment, Bottoms mentioned her marketing campaign message “transcends social gathering affiliation and geographic boundaries.”
Addressing latest Democratic considerations about President Biden’s health for workplace, Bottoms defended him, saying she noticed no indicators of cognitive decline throughout her time working intently with him.
