(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Keisha Lance Bottoms may have fled elected office after four tumultuous years as Atlanta’s mayor, but she now boasts the endorsement of disgraced former President Joe Biden as she runs for Georgia governor.
Bottoms is currently running in a crowded field of candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor. She leads in polling but has not surpassed 50% support, meaning a primary runoff remains possible.
Biden endorsed Bottoms in a video posted on her X page, saying:
“I’ve known her for a long time, and she’s something special. As mayor of Atlanta, Keisha faced every challenge a leader could face and then some: a global pandemic, a major cyberattack on the city systems, economic uncertainty that tested every community across Georgia — but she handled it all with steady, thoughtful leadership. That’s the definition of battle-tested.”
BREAKING NEWS: President Joe Biden just endorsed Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor!
From her time as mayor to serving in the Biden Administration, Keisha has a record of delivering for Georgians. #gapol pic.twitter.com/apkfp5221D
— Keisha For Georgia (@KeishaForGA) May 1, 2026
A former city councilwoman, Bottoms was elected mayor of Atlanta in 2018. Her tenure coincided with widespread Black Lives Matter protests and rising lawlessness in the city. After leaving office in 2022, she moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a senior advisor in the Biden White House.
“In the same way that it was very clear to me almost five years ago that I should run for mayor of Atlanta. It is abundantly clear to me today that it is time to pass the baton on to someone else,” she said in a statement at the time.
Despite her vague explanation, political operatives understood she faced an uphill re-election battle.
