Keisha Lance Bottoms is trying to do something no Black woman has ever done: win a governor’s race. But the former Atlanta mayor isn’t making that historic milestone a centerpiece of her campaign for Georgia’s top job.
Bottoms readily shares her family’s story — how her ancestors were enslaved on a plantation in east Georgia and her mother opened a beauty parlor to support the family while her father, a famous soul singer, spent time in prison on drug charges.
Still, she says voters are far more interested in everyday concerns like the price of groceries, public safety and access to healthcare than the history she could make if she defeats Republican Rick Jackson in November.
“Obviously the historical context to it could be significant. But when I’m talking to voters across the state, they’re concerned about how a leader will deliver for their communities,” Bottoms said. “The question of whether it would be a woman, a Black woman, doesn’t come up. It’s just about how will you make my life better.”
The approach also marks a contrast with Stacey Abrams, the party’s last nominee for governor, who made the case that race and gender were inextricably linked to politics.
“New, vibrant, noisy voices represent the strongest tool to manage the growing pains of multicultural coexistence,” she wrote in Foreign Affairs after her 2018 bid. “By embracing identity and its prickly, uncomfortable contours, Americans will become more likely to grow as one.”
But Abrams campaigned in a different political environment. Since the 2024 election, many party strategists have argued the party should de-emphasize identity-based appeals and focus on kitchen-table issues. Affordability has become the dominant message for both parties this cycle.
Veteran political consultant Saba Long said Bottoms is making a calculated decision this cycle that “relatability beats representation.”
“Voters ask two questions: What’s in it for me? And can I trust this person?” said Long, adding that Bottoms is addressing both by sharing her life story and “telling voters what will be different in their lives if she wins.”
‘Mayor named Keisha’
That doesn’t mean identity disappears from the campaign.
After she was elected Atlanta mayor in 2017, the phrase “Atlanta has a mayor named Keisha” became a viral social media slogan. Her campaign has revived the refrain, saying Georgia can elect “a governor named Keisha.”
Bottoms weaves her family’s story into policy discussions. She has spoken about how her father, Major Lance, served four years in prison on cocaine charges, saying the experience shaped her views on criminal justice and second chances.
And the history-making prospect could help Bottoms raise money from national donors and galvanize a Democratic base in Georgia composed mostly of voters of color.
University of Georgia political science professor Trey Hood said it takes a “conscious effort” either to emphasize or downplay racial identity in today’s political climate. Abrams’ strategy hinged on mobilizing voters of color who often skipped midterm elections. Bottoms, he said, is pursuing a different approach.
“It may be that the Bottoms’ campaign is trying to build a coalition with Democrats and moderate independents and that in doing so is not playing up her identity which some in that group — independents — might view as being divisive.”
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Jackson, too, has made biography a central part of his campaign, casting himself as a former foster child who grew up in Atlanta public housing before becoming a billionaire businessman.
Speaking recently at a Black-owned barbershop in College Park, Jackson said he’s running for “every single Georgian who feels forgotten, overlooked or left behind by politicians like Keisha Lance Bottoms who stopped listening.”
His remarks prompted a broader discussion among Democrats about how to connect with voters. State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, a Lithonia Democrat, said Bottoms’ approach reflects how much the political conversation has changed.
“Clearly, identity politics hasn’t worked in the past. So why would she try it in the future?” Kendrick said. “They don’t care if it’s a Black woman or a white man. They’re just looking for someone who looks out for them.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
She added: “It’s still important to have diversity in thought and backgrounds and people who look like us. But people are at a point where the primary conversation has shifted to, ‘Who can meet my needs?’”
Carol Anderson, an Emory University professor of African American studies, said Bottoms is following a familiar pattern for Black candidates seeking statewide office in diverse electorates.
Black candidates, she said, often feel pressure to de-emphasize race while campaigning on issues that resonate across the electorate, even as racial identity continues to shape the broader political debate.
She pointed to Barack Obama’s campaign as one of many examples, arguing that he often avoided discussing race early in his White House bid unless forced to address it.
That doesn’t mean race disappears from the campaign, Anderson said. Rather, Black candidates often conclude they must focus on broader concerns while avoiding making race the central message.
When the conversation turns to the historic nature of her candidacy, Bottoms doesn’t shy away from it.
Asked about her history-making potential at a recent campaign stop in Commerce, she reflected on her family’s journey from a slave plantation in Crawfordville to her candidacy for governor.
“It is just a very fulfilling story to know that literally my ancestors were once enslaved in this state — and I get to stand here as the nominee to represent this state as governor. I don’t take that for granted.”
Still, she said, that’s not what voters are asking about.
“They’re asking: What can I do for them? What can I do for their families? What will I do for their community?”
Staff writer Riley Bunch contributed to this report.
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