Keisha Lance Bottoms wants to be Georgia’s next Governor

The former mayor of Atlanta wants to be Georgia’s first Black and female governor. Keisha Lance Bottoms sat on a couch inside a dimly lit room at Retreat by The Gathering Spot, enjoying the natural lighting set forth by the afternoon sky. It was just past 2 p.m., and she had a long day of doing interviews with local media, and there was still one more interview to go. Running for citywide elections was one thing, but running for the top spot in the state was another entirely. Still, she sat with a smile on her face, ready to answer questions about why she should be Georgia’s next governor.

On Monday, May 11, Bottoms sat down for an interview with The Atlanta Voice before she and her campaign staff headed to Columbus to talk with voters. With less than 8 days before voters made their way to the polls to vote in the general primary election on Tuesday, May 19, Bottoms stated her case. 

“I’m a battle-tested leader. I’ve led through the crisis, I’ve led through Trump 1.0, so I know what it means to have to lead through chaos and still be able to deliver for our communities,” Bottoms said. 

She credits her time within the former Biden/Harris administration as an extra bit of experience that her competition in the race for governor does not have. “Being able to see how you get things done, it’s something that nobody else brings to the table,” she said.

Atlanta is Georgia’s capital city, and Bottoms’ time as the mayor can be seen as a gift and a curse depending on who you ask. She believes it should be seen as an advantage.

Over half a million votes have been cast during the early voting period, which ends on Friday, May 15. Traditionally, primary elections in Georgia and across the country do not receive the attention that November and presidential elections do. When asked if that was a concern for her and her candidacy, Bottoms didn’t look bothered. She said the primaries being scheduled in May with runoffs, if necessary, scheduled in June, are recipes for low turnout. “And I believe it is by design,” she said.

“I think in this season a lot of people are checked out, and for good reason,” she said. “For some people, it’s just being mentally exhausted. For other people, life is just lifting. I do believe the closer we get to election day, the larger the turnout will be.”

She said by the time November comes around, the voters will be “fully engaged.” 

Bottoms said it’s all about “counting the votes one by one” and making sure the people she hopes support her do turn out to vote. She still has campaign stops and events in Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Valdosta, and in between.

“We’re not taking anybody for granted,” she said. “We’ll be moving around the state, and we’re going to keep working the state, working to earn votes through election day, and then there will be a reset, and we’ll go from there.” 

A runoff, at least on the Democratic side, looks imminent. Bottoms, who has been through a runoff election before, says the sooner, the better.

“For the purposes of Democrats, the sooner we are able to consolidate, the better,” she said. “On the republican side, there are millions upon millions of dollars of their personal fortunes that they have poured into this race. Our resources are being split among seven candidates, so the sooner we can consolidate, the stronger we’ll be for November.” 

Georgia has some of the lowest gas prices in the country, but with prices hovering near $4.00 per gallon, they are still a long way from average. Those costs trickle down to the voters. United States President Donald Trump has said the prices will “drop like a rock,” but for now, they haven’t. Bottoms was asked what she would do about those prices if she were elected Georgia’s next governor.

“I think we should continue to suspend the gas tax until this unnecessary war is over,” she said. “For as burdensome as it is just on individuals, think about Delta Airlines, a major employer in this state, which has to spend an additional $2 billion on oil. That price is passed on to the consumer.” 

Bottoms said the war in Iran is “frustrating” and “concerning”. 

“When you think about a city like Atlanta, and the metro Atlanta area, we are car-reliant. And think about communities throughout the state that don’t have access to public transportation.”

Asked what the first order of business would be if Keisha Lance Bottoms were elected governor,  she reflected back on her family’s roots in Crawfordville, Georgia, a tiny town in Taliaferro County. 

“The opportunity to offer myself as a candidate for governor, I’m sure, exceeds all expectations of my ancestors,” she said. 

Bottoms said Medicaid expansion is a top priority, but the affordability issues Georgians are facing are equally important. 

“The needs are so plentiful, but wrapping our arms around the affordability crisis and preparing for Medicaid expansion will be priorities,” Bottoms said.

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