Atlanta has a new mayor-elect, and it’s a Black woman for the second time in the city’s history.
Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms emerged victorious on December 5, following a tense mayoral race that ended with a difference of just over 700 votes, according to the latest election results reported by the Associated Press. As expected, the race came down to the wire as Bottoms went head to head at the polls against 65-year-old Mary Norwood, who ran as an Independent and would have been the city’s first White, female mayor had she won instead.
A proud HBCU graduate, 47-year-old Bottoms was met with cheers from her supporters as she took to the podium at her celebration rally to share a few worlds amid news of her victory.
“For all the little girls out there, who need somebody to believe that you’re better than your circumstances, I want you all to remember that Black Girl Magic is real,” Bottoms said. “And across this city, we got Black Girl Magic, we got Black Boy Magic, we got White Girl Magic, we got White Boy Magic, we have Brown Girl Magic, Brown boy Magic and everything in between. This is a city for all of us and I’m so honored to be your 60th mayor.”
Due to Bottoms winning the race by a margin of less than 1 percent, Norwood immediately called for a recount of the vote once the results were announced, noting that absentee ballots from military members still had yet to be included in the final count. The provisional ballots will reportedly be counted and added to the final vote total on Thursday.
While the race may be far from over for Norwood, Bottoms holding the title as the second Black woman mayor of Atlanta is very much a reality for her.