Former President Joe Biden endorses Keisha Lance Bottoms for GA governor

Former President Joe Biden has joined the gubernatorial race in Georgia with an official endorsement for Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, is running against six other Democrats in the gubernatorial primary. Early voting began Monday and will continue to May 15. Election Day is on May 19, and any runoffs needed after the race will be scheduled for June.

Here's what Biden said.

Joe Biden endorsement: 'I've known her for a long time'

In a video posted on YouTube Friday, Biden says he has known Bottoms "for a long time," and she "faced every challenge a leader could face" during her tenure as Atlanta's mayor.

"A global pandemic, a major cyber attack on the city systems, economic uncertainty that tested every community across Georgia, but she handled it all with steady, thoughtful leadership," Biden said. "That's the definition of battle-tested."

Biden applauded Bottoms' work giving pay raises to first responders and creating a Child Savings Account for Atlanta's kindergarteners. He also highlighted a $180 million budget surplus left after Bottoms' term without an increase in property taxes within the city.

"That's a record to be proud of. And then she came to the White House and served as a senior advisor. And I'll tell you, those same qualities that made her a great mayor made her invaluable to our administration," Biden said.

Bottoms' time in Washington, D.C.

Bottoms served as a senior advisor to the president and the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement following a single term as Mayor of Atlanta.

Bottoms has faced criticism for serving only one term, something she addressed in a recent gubernatorial debate.

Bottoms chose not to run for a second term as mayor of Atlanta during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to critics saying she left the city behind during a difficult time. She said she made the right decision for herself and her family at the time, and she was able to go and work in the Biden Administration advocating for her home state, and she is proud of the work she did as mayor.

Her decision to not run again caused surprise as she became the first one-term mayor since World War II in Atlanta, and it has been a repeated talking point from her opponents.

Who is in the governor's race in Georgia

Bottoms is joined in the Democratic primary by Geoff Duncan, a former Republican Lieutenant Governor turned Democrat, and Mike Thurmond, a longtime Georgia representative, who lead the polls for Democrats in the gubernatorial race. Also on the ballot for Democrats are Jason Esteves, picking up speed just in time for the primary, as well as Olu Brown, Amanda Duffy and Derrick Jackson.

The Republicans are led by Burt Jones, Georgia's Trump-endorsed current Lieutenant Governor, and Rick Jackson, a healthcare CEO who entered the race late with a fortune behind his name. Others hoping to sit high on the ballot are Attorney General Chris Carr, Clark Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Tom Williams and Ken Yasger.

Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].