ATLANTA – Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore was headed toward a first-place finish Tuesday night in the city’s mayoral contest.
But with 16 candidates in the race, it was clear she would not be able to amass the 50%-plus-one margin needed to avoid a Nov. 30 runoff.
With nearly 96% of the precincts reporting as of 11 p.m., Moore led with 40% of the vote.
But Moore’s runoff opponent remained uncertain late Tuesday night. Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was running second with 23.7% of the vote, and Councilman Andre Dickens was a close third at 22.6%.
Earlier Tuesday night, Moore thanked her supporters for their hard work during the campaign.
“These people have put their heart and soul and time and money toward a new Atlanta where everyone’s going to feel safe and where, when you spend your money for taxes and services, you’re going to get them,” Moore told WXIA-TV.
Moore was elected council president four years ago after serving on the city council representing a district in northwestern Atlanta.
Reed was elected mayor in 2009 and served two terms. Before that, he served as a state senator representing an Atlanta district.
Dickens gave up his council seat to run for mayor. He was elected to an at-large seat on the council in 2013 and is completing his second term.
Current Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms surprised political observers earlier this year when she announced she would not seek a second term at the helm of the city.
As Moore indicated with her remarks, rising crime was the key issue throughout this year’s mayoral campaign. The candidates proposed various approaches to stemming violence in a city that has seen a huge increase in homicides this year along with increases in assaults and auto thefts.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.