Georgia's Gov Race Has a Clear Frontrunner, and Dems Are Nervous

Georgia Democrats are staring at what they see as a rare opening for the governor's office—and fretting that their best-known candidate might blow it. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor and current Democratic frontrunner, leads primary polls and boasts a résumé that also includes time as a judge, city councilmember, and a senior White House adviser. But roughly a third of Democratic voters remain undecided, and a chorus of strategists warns that her tumultuous mayoral term—defined by COVID, protests, and rising crime—could be weaponized by Republicans and drag down the entire ticket, reports Politico. "The Republicans will eat her for lunch. The Republicans are begging us to nominate her," says one Democratic strategist. "If she's at the top of the ticket, the whole ticket loses. If she's not … we can sweep it. The stakes are that high."

Her rivals, Michael Thurmond, Jason Esteves, and Geoff Duncan, are locked in a distant fight for second place, likely keeping Bottoms under the 50% needed to avoid a runoff, though one recent poll put her at 52%, notes Fox5. Some Democrats say GOP woes and President Trump's drag on the party make Bottoms a viable November contender; others argue Republicans have already written the attack ads. Bottoms' camp counters that insiders have "underestimated" her before, pointing to a budget surplus, corporate investment, and plans to expand Medicaid and universal pre-K. Looming over it all: This may be Democrats' best chance in a generation to reclaim the governor's mansion before Republicans redraw the state's political map.