Atlanta’s Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, is in the running to be considered for the VP position on Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential ticket.
What We Know:
- Over the past week, everyone from colleagues and residents to Twitter users have praised the Mayor for her leadership during the ongoing protests over the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officers.
- After the country felt the disturbing lack of leadership from one of the most powerful positions of the free world, and after the civil unrest over the past week, Mayor Bottoms had the encouraging words we all needed to hear.
- “This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos. A protest has purpose. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn’t do this to our city… If you want change in America, go and register to vote… You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. We are better than this… We are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country” Mayor Bottoms said during a press confernce last week.
- The Atlanta Mayor’s courageous crisis management skills shined during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as with the protesters in her city over Floyd’s killing so much so that her name has been added to the list of potential vice president candidates for Joe Biden.
- Even Rev. Al Sharpton told CBS Atlanta, “Bottoms’ leadership during the pandemic, and her unwavering support for the Democratic nominee, make her stand out.”
- Politico reported on Monday that Bottoms, along with Florida Rep. Val Demings (D), are under consideration for the Democratic ticket.
Biden, who has pledged to choose a female running mate, has come under pressure to pick a woman of color amid the nationwide discussion on race.
