“You don’t get more Atlanta than I am,” said former Atlanta Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms during a town hall geared towards male voters, “I am Atlanta through and through.”
The “Mandate” town hall took place at the Gathering Spot on Northyards Blvd. on Monday night. Just days earlier, Bottoms’ opponent, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson, posed for photos with the Black business owners at a local soul food restaurant. He has also made public visits to another Black-owned restaurant in Buckhead and a Mexican restaurant in Doraville.
When asked what kind of campaigning she’s up against, Bottoms, a native of Atlanta who still lives in the city, said she patronizes Black-owned businesses in Atlanta every day, so she doesn’t consider Jackson’s viral moment at Toast on Lenox, for example, actual campaigning.
“The theatrics are nice, but what is the real worth. What are you actually doing? What do your policies stand for? I’m talking about the policies; it’s not that I’m not making these stops, but I make these stops as a part of my everyday life. I live in southwest Atlanta, and I am surrounded by Black businesses, so I don’t have to have a camera crew with me every time I walk into one.”
The town hall, which was hosted by The Gathering Spot co-founder Ryan Wilson, was well attended, and though it was geared towards Black male voters, a block that Bottoms will most certainly need in order to become the state’s first Democratic governor since Roy Barnes accomplished that feat in 1998. Barnes served one term from 1999 to 2003.
Taking the stage to loud applause, Bottoms sat down and said she feels good, both personally and professionally. “I feel good about our campaign, and I’ll feel great when we win,” Bottoms said.
Asked why she is running for governor, Bottoms said it was a personal decision that she made after former United States Vice President Kamala Harris lost her bid for the presidency in November 2024. Bottoms said running for governor was “worth me getting out of my comfort zone.” Moments earlier, she spoke about how comfortable her life had become after leaving the political sphere. Now she is back
Having campaigned before and since winning the Democratic primary, Bottoms said she has heard from people all over the state about access to mental health services, affordability, and support for small businesses, among other topics.
“These are some of the issues that have been generations-long, and they are coming up everywhere I go,” Bottoms said.
During the town hall, Bottoms addressed the claim that her four years as Atlanta Mayor were marked by rising crime and violence. She said she served the city “every single day” and was committed to serving out her four-year term despite being recruited to join the Biden-Harris Administration. Last week, during a visit to Cobb County by United States President Donald Trump, Jackson used his time on stage to mention Bottoms’ record as mayor. He also said, if elected, he will be Trump’s “favorite governor.”
Bottoms made sure to bring that up when she had the run of the pulpit on Monday, saying voting for Jackson is like voting for the current POTUS.
“This guy doesn’t mean a lot of people well based on the policies he agrees with Donald Trump on,” Bottoms said of Jackson.
Bottoms took questions from the media after the town hall, after leaving the stage, but before she did, she closed by saying Atlanta knows who she is and what she is about.
“I don’t have to introduce myself to people,” she said. “I just have to earn their vote.”
The post ’You Don’t Get More Atlanta Than I Am’: Bottoms holds town hall at Gathering Spot appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.