SAVANNAH, Ga.—Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms won the Democratic nomination in Georgia’s gubernatorial primary on May 19 by a wide margin over her opponents, fulfilling previous polls’ projections.
There were seven qualified Democrats running in the party’s race for the Peach State’s top job, with the second-place candidate receiving 16 percent of the vote to Bottoms’s 57 percent, as of 11:09 p.m. ET.
Bottoms will face either Lt. Gov. Burt Jones or healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson in November. Both Republicans advanced to a runoff, to be held on June 16.
The former mayor will be looking to flip the governor’s office, which has been held by Republicans for more than two decades.
The Epoch Times spoke to roughly 20 Democratic voters on May 19, the majority of whom expressed support for Bottoms, a wife and mother who has previously served as a judge, city council member, and senior advisor to President Joe Biden.
Darrell Walton, a Navy veteran of 11 years and currently working with local emergency services and fire rescue in Camden County, Georgia, cast his ballot for Bottoms.
Walton said the current state of politics within Georgia and the country is “disturbing,” which is why he was motivated to show up to his local recreation center precinct to vote on primary day.
“I want to do my part. People that are in office now, and the majority of it’s just—it’s a little depressing, so I'd like a change,” Walton said.
He added that he believes the former mayor is one of the only candidates with the experience to make meaningful change in the state.
He’d also like to see more women on the ballot.
“It’s not an easy job, and I can’t imagine some of the decisions these men and women have to deal with,” Walton said. “I do like to think [women] are a lot more level-headed than most men.”
Another voter, Eddie Matthews, a resident of St. Marys, Georgia, for nearly 30 years, declined to say which Democratic gubernatorial candidate he voted for but shared his deep distrust of the current administration in Georgia.
“I lean Democrat after what all the Republicans have done here the last few years … that’s caused me to go toward Democrats,” Matthews said about current Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Elise Lewis, who cast her ballot at the Golden Isles Baptist Church in Brunswick, shared a similar displeasure with the current leaders of her state—as well as with the Trump administration.
She voted for Bottoms and said she would do well in running the Peach State after having served as mayor of Atlanta.
“I think she’s got the experience, and then a newer mindset than the good old boys that have been running the country and the state,” Lewis said. “I just think it’s a super important election.”
According to Georgia campaign finance records, Bottoms has raised nearly $3 million and spent $2.5 million.
Bottoms has vowed that her day one priority, if she were to be elected on Nov. 3, would be to expand Medicaid.
Amanda Duffy
In historic Savannah, Leah and Hoss Czup cast their ballots at the Central Church of Christ for a lesser-known candidate, Amanda Duffy, who received XX percent of Democratic votes on May 19.
Duffy led an appealing campaign, they said, citing Duffy’s strong focus on women’s rights and her promise to change Georgia’s state income tax to a “graduated/progressive tax system,” as stated on the candidate’s website.
“She’s trying to look out for our money,” Leah said. “I went to her website—first thing she does is not ask for money, so I thought that was pretty cool.”
Duffy’s website does not feature any “donate” tab or plea for funds, as is the case on other candidates’ websites. Georgia campaign finance records show she did not raise or spend any money on her campaign.
