Keisha Lance Bottoms
Democratic nomineeAttorney and former 60th Mayor of Atlanta (2018–2022), the daughter of R&B singer Major Lance. A Florida A&M and Georgia State Law graduate, she later served as a senior advisor to President Biden. She won the 2026 Democratic primary outright with about 57% of the vote.
Previously held
- Mayor of Atlanta (2018–2022)
- Atlanta City Council, District 11 (2010–2018)
- Atlanta magistrate judge
- Senior Advisor to President Biden — White House Office of Public Engagement (2022–2023)
Top contributors
A small-dollar, grassroots profile — her campaign reports roughly 7,100 donors with about 92% giving under $100, supplemented by some personal funds, with no dominant large-donor or industry-PAC list. Endorsed by Georgia Equality. See the current GA Ethics total below.
- $40,009.00Walker, Justin (Atlanta, GA)
- $26,400.00Cox, Richard (Marietta, GA)
- $26,400.00Perry, Tyler (Atlanta, GA)
- $26,400.00Ramsey, Simon (Stone Mountain, GA)
- $26,400.00Bekele, Gelila (New York, NY)
- $26,400.00Cox, Gregia (Marietta, GA)
- $26,000.00Meezy Entertainment LLC (Mcdonough, GA)
$2,936,971 raised · $436,359 cash on hand — as of Jun 4, 2026 (GA Ethics latest filing).
Source: Atlanta News First — $1M+ haul · Transparency USA (GA filings)Where they stand
Pro–public education. Her plan would raise average starting teacher pay from $43,000 to $60,000, exempt teachers from state income tax, expand the state's pre-K program, and make technical and community college free.
Source: AJC — where Bottoms stands · CBS AtlantaSupports expanding Medicaid — she says full expansion would cover roughly 300,000 Georgians and help keep rural hospitals open — and would also work to lower premiums and create a prescription-drug affordability board.
Source: CBS Atlanta · AJC — where Bottoms standsHas built her economic message around affordability and wages — cracking down on corporate landlords and lowering household costs — but has not put forward a specific minimum-wage figure; Georgia's floor remains the federal $7.25.
Source: Issues — Keisha for Governor · Georgia Dept. of Labor — minimum wageApproaches it through housing supply and affordability: a “Georgia Housing Fast Track” to speed permitting, an affordable-housing trust fund, down-payment and renter assistance, and curbs on corporate landlords — and she names veteran homelessness as a state priority.
Source: Issues — Keisha for GovernorA signature plank — she pledges to make Georgia “the best state in the country for veterans and military families,” translating military experience into civilian credentials, fast-tracking veteran hiring into state jobs, offering tax relief for veterans and military retirees, and treating veteran housing, mental health, and suicide prevention as priorities.
Source: Issues — Keisha for GovernorHas not laid out a detailed immigration platform; she has run broadly against the Trump/MAGA agenda rather than on enforcement, keeping the focus on affordability, health care, and abortion rights.
Source: Capital B News · BallotpediaSupports gun-safety measures. As Atlanta mayor she joined a bipartisan coalition of mayors pressing Congress to enact “commonsense gun safety legislation.”
Source: City of Atlanta — mayors' gun-safety letter · OnTheIssues — BottomsSupports abortion rights and opposes Georgia's six-week ban; she has spotlighted ProPublica reporting linking the ban to a preventable maternal death in Georgia.
Source: KLB on ProPublica reporting (X)Supportive. She formed Atlanta's first LGBTQ+ Advisory Board in 2018, and Georgia Equality made her its first gubernatorial endorsement of the cycle.
Source: Rough Draft AtlantaPro-DEI. As mayor she created Atlanta's first Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; she is campaigning explicitly against the Trump administration's federal DEI rollback.
Source: Capital B NewsHas not put forward a statewide legalization plan as a candidate, but her record leans toward reform — as Atlanta mayor she suspended pre-employment marijuana screening for non-safety city jobs, during a period when the city had decriminalized small-amount possession. Georgia still permits only low-THC medical cannabis.
Source: Cannabis in Georgia — Wikipedia · BallotpediaCalls for a moratorium on new data-center approvals pending a study of their water and utility-bill impacts, saying the state has “absolutely moved too fast.” Gov. Kemp called the idea “insane.”
Source: Bloomberg · Washington ExaminerScandals
$37,000 state ethics fine (campaign finance)
Fined by the state campaign-finance commission; resolved.Georgia's campaign-finance commission fined Bottoms $37,000 over violations tied to her earlier campaigns — accepting roughly $6,900 over contribution limits and $110,797 over debt limits, and using an incorrect accounting method.
Source: FOX 5 Atlanta