Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was elected in 2017, announced Thursday she will not seek reelection.
In a statement, Lance Bottoms wrote she came to her decision after a lot of praying, thinking, and discussions with her husband, Derek.
“As Derek and I have given thoughtful prayer and consideration to the season now before us,
it is with deep emotions that I hold my head high, and choose not to seek another term as Mayor,” Lance Bottoms wrote.
The Florida A&M graduate added her decision was not based on an inability to fundraise, a belief that she wouldn’t be reelected, or a fear of competition in a reelection bid.
“I have engaged in several elections, facing multiple candidates, and never once have I cowered from the competition,” Bottoms added.
Lance Bottoms endorsed President Joe Biden months before he became the Democratic frontrunner as she stumped for him in Iowa.
During her term in office, Lance Bottoms took a measured and detailed approach to several issues the city faced. Just three months into her term, two Iranian citizens pulled off a ransomware attack that affected the city’s computer system.
Undeterred, Lance Bottoms made significant progress during her time in office, abolishing drug testing for city jobs, passing criminal justice reforms, and ending the city’s contacts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Lance Bottoms also fought with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who filed a lawsuit against her over the coronavirus restrictions she enforced, which were more restrictive than the restrictions Kemp implemented. Lance Bottoms also included a mask mandate.
She was also tasked with calming the city during protests after the death of George Floyd and the shooter who killed eight people including six Asian women at Atlanta-area massage parlors.
The mayor has not indicated what she will do after she leaves office.
“While I am not yet certain of what the future holds, I trust that my next season will continue to be one full of passion and purpose, guided by the belief that within each of us is the power and responsibility to make a positive difference in the lives of others.”