In what’s already being called the Democratic whisper heard around the South, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a long-anticipated political comeback during an appearance at this year’s Leading Women Defined Summit.

According to Danielle Belton, former Editor-in-Chief of HuffPost and attendee at the exclusive gathering of powerhouse Black women, on April 3, 2025, Bottoms confirmed she’s planning a run for governor of Georgia in 2026.

Bottoms, who previously served as a senior advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, has kept a relatively low political profile since leaving City Hall in 2022. However, she’s remained active in civic discourse and a vocal advocate for voting rights, police reform, and economic equity.

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that there is a “fierce urgency of now”. For the people of Georgia, that includes having leaders who aren’t blindly following Trump off of a moral and economic cliff, but focused on the pressing needs in our communities. I have previously publicly shared that I was seriously considering a run for governor and expect to make a formal announcement soon," Bottoms told BET.

This is a breaking news story, and will be updated as the news unfolds.