Atlanta mayor won’t run for reelection

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) is not running for reelection.

The news was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which said she had made the announcement in a private call with friends and allies. 

The call was also reported by WSB-TV 2 in Atlanta.

Bottoms later released a letter announcing her decision.

“While I am not yet certain of what the future holds, I trust that my next season will continue to be one full of passion and purpose, guided by the belief that within each of us is the power and responsibility to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” she wrote.

She added, “Despite the many unforeseen challenges that our city has faced, I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished, together.”

Bottoms has a press conference scheduled for Friday morning, but it’s unclear what it will be about, according to the news outlet.

The Hill has reached out to Bottoms’s office for comment. 

Bottoms has become a rising star in the Democratic party since she was first elected in 2017. She was a key ally of President Biden throughout his campaign, helping him flip the state blue for the first time since 1992.

Her work around the city’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and her work alongside former gubernatorial candidate and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams in the general election and subsequent Senate runoffs also awarded her national recognition. 

Bottoms was floated as a possible vice presidential candidate. She was also offered a position in Biden’s Cabinet, which she said she turned down. She did accept a top post at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) focused on voter engagement and protection.

In mid- March, Biden headlined a political fundraiser for Bottoms, the first of his presidency.

According to WSB-TV, she’s the only mayor in the city’s history that served all in three branches of government, having previously been a judge and a City Council member.