No candidate was able to snag a majority in the Atlanta mayoral race Tuesday, setting up a runoff between two front-runners in a crowded field after Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom’s shocking announcement that she would not be seeking reelection.
Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore advanced to the next stage with roughly 40% of the vote and 96.7% of precincts reporting, but as of 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, it was unclear who she will face in the runoff on Nov. 30.
Kasim Reed, a former mayor of the city, and City Councilman Andre Dickens remained neck and neck with roughly 22%-23% support.
No candidate was able to pass the threshold (50% plus one vote) to outright win on Tuesday.
ATLANTA MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS REMINDS PUBLIC TO ‘PUT DOWN’ CAMERAS AND ‘CALL 911’
Prior to Tuesday’s election, polls showed a large portion of voters were still undecided in a race that boasted more than a dozen candidates.
A poll conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs on Oct. 21 showed that 41.4% of voters were still undecided, while 23.8% were leaning toward Moore, 20.4% leaning toward Reed, 6.2% leaning toward Dickens, and 4.3% leaning toward Sharon Gay.
One of the leading topics in the race is the rise in crime in the city.
While Reed’s approach to tackling the crime levels is to strengthen law enforcement, with him vowing to add some 750 officers to Atlanta’s police department, Moore intends to focus on improving the community as a whole, saying, “We can’t just arrest our way out of this crisis.”
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Bottoms announced in May that she would not be seeking reelection for her position.
The Democrat did not specify a reason for her departure but said she is “not yet certain of what the future holds” pertaining to another bid for public office.
