Former President Barack Obama has officially endorsed former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Georgia gubernatorial race.
The endorsement arrives as recent polling shows a closely contested race between Bottoms, the Democratic nominee, and Republican nominee Rick Jackson ahead of November’s election, with early voting set to begin October 13. In a video, Obama highlighted Bottoms’ background across multiple levels of public service, as a former judge, City Council member, and mayor of Atlanta.
“As a former judge, council member, and mayor, Keisha believes that public service is about putting you first,” Obama said. “She’s invested in young people, delivered historic pay raises for police officers and firefighters, and balanced the budget without raising taxes.”
The endorsement also outlines the core planks of Bottoms’ gubernatorial platform: lowering living costs, expanding Medicaid, strengthening rural hospitals, giving local communities the option to eliminate grocery taxes, and guaranteeing universal pre-K education for every four-year-old in the state. Obama was direct about the stakes.
“There is a lot at stake in this election, Georgia. Make your voice heard, and vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor.”
The backing joins an endorsement from former President Joe Biden as Bottoms continues to build national support heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
Recent statewide surveys, including a YouGov poll of registered voters, show a virtually tied race with Jackson holding a slight edge within the margin of error.
The two candidates recently faced off in a televised town hall debate, fielding questions from undecided voters on housing affordability, energy costs, and healthcare expansion, the issues likely to decide the outcome in November.
