ATLANTA – Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is forming an exploratory committee ahead of a potential run for governor next year.
“I am honored by the encouragement I have received as I considered running for governor,” Bottoms wrote in a prepared statement released Monday.
“I am taking an important administrative step in this journey by filing necessary paperwork to establish a campaign committee. I look forward to making an announcement in the coming weeks.”
Bottoms was elected mayor of Atlanta in 2017 but decided not to seek reelection four years later. Instead, the Democrat joined the administration of then-President Joe Biden in 2022 as a senior advisor.
Reports surfaced soon after Republican President Donald Trump took office in January that he had fired Bottoms. She responded that the president couldn’t fire her from a job that she had already quit.
Bottoms joins state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta in the 2026 gubernatorial race on the Democratic side. Multiple news outlets have reported that former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams of Atlanta, a two-time Democratic nominee for governor, also is considering mounting a third bid for the state’s highest office.
The only announced Republican candidate thus far is state Attorney General Chris Carr. Other potential candidates to succeed Kemp include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.