Atlanta mayor’s race advances to runoff

Atlanta Democrats Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens officially advanced Thursday to a runoff in the city’s mayoral race after no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote.

The contenders, who are both city council members, defeated 12 other candidates in the race, including former Mayor Kasim Reed, who came in a disappointing third.

Moore, the city council president, claimed the top spot after consistently leading the election on Tuesday. The Latest tally shows her about 18 points ahead of Dickens. 

The two are running to replace outgoing Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D).

The race for the second spot was contentious, with the most recent count showing Dickens edging out Reed, who held the mayoralty from 2010-2018, by just over 600 votes.

Dickens had started as a front-runner in the race, but both Moore and Dickens hammered him over corruption scandals that unfolded in City Hall during his tenure. He ultimately conceded Thursday.

“I…want to congratulate both Council President Felicia Moore and Council Member Andre Dickens,” he said in a statement. “As the race moves forward in a run-off, I will continue to work on behalf of the city that I love to ensure that we remain that shining city on a hill.”

Both Moore and Dickens campaigned heavily on tacking a jump in violent crime and housing affordability as prices rise in a city drawing an avalanche of new residents. However, new attack lines will likely be drawn in the runoff between the two after Reed caught most of the arrows fired in the race. 

The runoff is scheduled for Nov. 30.