Georgia Race Costs $200M in Ad War Over Bottoms' Mayoral Record

Voters in Georgia face a high-cost decision in the gubernatorial race, where Republican nominee Rick Jackson has deployed more than $200 million in personal funds to air television commercials. The ads target Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, focusing heavily on her four-year tenure as mayor of Atlanta. Jackson’s campaign strategy centers on portraying the former mayor as a failure who allowed the city to decline, a narrative designed to sway suburban and rural voters who often view large cities with skepticism.

Bottoms, 56, is the first Black woman to run for governor in any state. She has served as a City Council member, magistrate judge, and prosecutor before becoming mayor. Her campaign emphasizes tangible policy distinctions, specifically her plan to expand Medicaid insurance eligibility. This move aims to reach urban and rural populations across racial lines. Her aides argue that voters should judge her based on these economic proposals rather than her handling of specific local events.

The Republican effort has intensified its criticism of Bottoms’ decision to leave the mayor’s office after one term to join President Joe Biden’s White House as a senior adviser. Jackson claims she turned her back on Atlanta. John King, a top Jackson surrogate and the state insurance commissioner, frequently states that Bottoms let the city burn, referencing a protest fire near the site where Rayshard Brooks was killed. Trump, who campaigned in Macon last weekend, accused Bottoms of destroying Atlanta with crime and filth, a criticism he has leveled against other cities with large Black populations.

Bottoms is pushing back with new advertising that features footage from a 2020 news conference she held with law enforcement leaders during street protests. In the spot, she tells residents to go home and asserts that the city is better than the violence displayed. She positions herself as a mother of four who understands public safety concerns while maintaining empathy for Black Americans. Her latest ad campaign follows a recent surge in fundraising that allowed her to match Jackson’s earlier spending advantage.

Stacey Abrams, who lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2018 and 2022, notes that Black women running for executive office face a higher bar because there is no prior example for voters. Abrams argues that the standard for executive experience is not applied equally across all candidates. She says Bottoms has a strong argument for the governorship because she has held the role of mayor, a point Republicans have aggressively targeted in the closing stretch.

The race follows a pattern in Georgia where Democrats have nominated a Black woman for governor in three consecutive cycles. Kemp is leaving office in 2027 due to term limits after eight years. Bottoms will meet with voters and her opponent in a rally headlined by Barack Obama on Wednesday. The event offers a final chance for the candidate to present her policy platform before the election.

Beverly Rice, a retired educator and Bottoms supporter, says she has complete faith in the candidate’s ability to win if voters judge her by their values. Rice does not see a Black governor, but a leader for all people. The campaign’s final push relies on this distinction, aiming to separate the candidate from the racial and gender barriers that have historically limited political access for Black women in the Deep South.