Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has won the support of an influential national political organization whose help could prove critical as she tries to become the next governor of Georgia.
EMILYs List — which focuses on supporting Democratic women in favor of abortion rights — is endorsing Bottoms on Thursday as she faces a competitive primary field on the left, CBS News has learned. Georgia Republicans have held the governor’s office for most of the 21st century, even as Democrats have succeeded in winning both of the state’s Senate seats in recent years. But some Democrats are hopeful that dissatisfaction with President Trump could help the party across the board in midterm races.
“Donald Trump, he very proudly wears the crown of chaos. So this time around, it’s going to be about having this battle-tested leadership, being willing and able to stand up to Donald Trump and the chaos that he’s bringing to our communities, but also leading and being innovative in figuring out how we weather this storm,” said Bottoms, whose tenure as mayor largely played out during Mr. Trump’s first term in the White House.
When Bottoms announced her statewide campaign earlier this year, a spokeswoman for the Republican Governors Association greeted her run with a statement saying that “the gubernatorial primary is shaping up to be nothing but disappointing for Georgia Democrats.” The group added that “the last thing Georgians want is to bring her policies to the entire state. Bottoms is a risk Georgians cannot afford.”
After a tenure that included leading her city during the coronavirus pandemic and through the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd, Bottoms announced in 2021 she would not run for another term as mayor.
Bottoms later worked as a senior adviser for former President Joe Biden’s White House. She announced her run for governor in May, and is now part of a contested primary field on the Democratic side. Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who switched parties after serving statewide as a Republican and opposing Mr. Trump, is running against Bottoms to try to be the party’s pick for governor. The field also includes former Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves.
If Bottoms wins in the general election, she would become the first Black woman to be elected governor in United States history.
“She’s led Georgians through some of the toughest challenges that people can face in office, and she is the right person to stand up right now and fight back against the chaos that is making lives harder for people in Georgia and deliver that more stable, affordable, everyday life for working families,” EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler said.
Democrats are eying a potentially advantageous political environment in next year’s midterms as they try to win back power in Washington and in state capitol’s around the country. Back in 2018, during Mr. Trump’s first midterm cycle as president, Democrat Stacey Abrams fell short against Republican Brian Kemp in the race for governor, even as Democrats in other races were able to take advantage of concerns about the incumbent president’s party.
But in the years that followed, Democrats saw a series of breakthroughs in Georgia, starting with Biden’s narrow victory over Mr. Trump in the state in the 2020 presidential election. Weeks later, both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeated Republicans in run-off elections for the state’s pair of seats in the Senate. During the 2022 midterm cycle, Warnock won a full term in the Senate even though Abrams’ repeat challenge against Kemp failed.
Then in the 2024 presidential election, Mr. Trump carried Georgia on his way to a second term in the White House, setting up the state to once again be a crucial political attention point in next year’s midterms as both parties look to build momentum heading into the 2028 presidential election.
“We know what’s possible in this state, but it’s going to require us to keep our heads down and stay focused, to keep running hard, and most importantly, to keep listening to people,” Bottoms said.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emilys-list-endorses-former-atlanta-mayor-keisha-lance-bottoms-in-georgia-governor-race/
