Bottoms battles Jackson in Georgia

Keisha Lance Bottoms is campaigning to become the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state. The 56-year-old former Atlanta mayor and former White House adviser is challenging Republican nominee Rick Jackson in a race that pits her policy record against a massive spending advantage. While Bottoms focuses on her legislative agenda, the historical weight of her candidacy casts a long shadow over the contest.

Jackson has poured more than $200 million of his own money into the campaign to attack Bottoms. His television ads feature grainy footage from the 2020 protests in Atlanta, which followed the police killing of Rayshard Brooks. The Republican candidate argues that Bottoms’ four years as mayor were a period of decline marked by crime. He has repeatedly stated that bad mayors do not make good governors, a claim he has driven home in the final stretch of the election.

Trump and other senior Republicans have joined the assault on Bottoms. At a rally in Macon, the former president accused Bottoms of destroying Atlanta with crime and filth. John King, the state insurance commissioner and a key Jackson surrogate, has told crowds that Bottoms let Atlanta burn, referencing a fire set by protesters near the scene of Brooks' death. Bottoms counters that this narrative ignores the city's recent hosting of the World Cup and its historical resilience.

Stacey Abrams, who lost to incumbent Brian Kemp in 2018 and 2022, notes that Black women face a higher standard in executive races. Abrams said there is no prior example for voters to compare, making the executive experience requirement feel uneven. She believes Bottoms has a strong argument because she held the mayor's office, a role Republicans have criticized as insufficient. Abrams described Bottoms' resume, which includes service as a magistrate judge and prosecutor, as the reason for the aggressive attacks.

Bottoms has attempted to shift the focus to economic issues and Medicaid expansion. Her recent advertising emphasizes her response to the 2020 unrest, featuring clips of her press conference with law enforcement leaders. In the spot, she tells residents to go home if they care about the city, asserting that she is a mother who will not be outdone in her concern for the public. Her campaign argues that voters should decide the race based on these tangible policy distinctions rather than identity.

The race is the third consecutive time Georgia Democrats have nominated a Black woman for governor. All 83 governors in the state's history since 1776 have been white men. Bottoms traces her family lineage back five generations to a plantation in Crawfordville, a fact she cites to underscore her deep roots in the state. She is scheduled to speak at a rally headlined by Barack Obama on Wednesday, aiming to consolidate support from Black voters and suburban moderates before the election.