‘Keisha needs us’: Black Democrats rally behind Bottoms in Georgia governor’s race

Wes Moore, Raphael Warnock, Andre Dickens, Andrew Young and Tyrese were among those urging Black men to mobilize behind the former Atlanta mayor.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is getting a major show of support from some of the country’s most prominent Black Democratic voices as she fights to make history in Georgia.

On Sunday, roughly 1,000 people joined a virtual “Men for Keisha” rally organized around mobilizing Black men behind Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The lineup included Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young and singer and actor Tyrese.

The rally comes as Republicans increasingly focus their attacks on Bottoms’ record as Atlanta mayor, hoping to make her tenure a liability in the November election.

But Dickens, who succeeded Bottoms as mayor, offered an unequivocal defense of her leadership.

“When people ask me what kind of governor she’d make, I don’t have to guess,” Dickens said. “I watched her do the hardest version of this job in one of the hardest years in the history of the United States. She cared and she led.”

Dickens was referring in part to Bottoms’ leadership during the coronavirus pandemic and the protests for racial equality that swept Atlanta and the nation in 2020.

For Bottoms, the stakes of the election extend beyond simply reclaiming the governor’s mansion for Democrats. A victory would make her the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.

Warnock used the rally to frame the election as a fight over political power, pointing to Bottoms’ support for expanding Medicaid and opposing efforts to redraw political maps in ways that could diminish the influence of majority-Black districts.

“If Rick Jackson is governor, they’ll continue those efforts to redraw those lines,” Warnock said, referring to Bottoms’ Republican opponent. “It’s about our votes, our voices and our power.”

Moore, who has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent national figures, delivered a similarly direct message to Black men considering whether to engage in the race.

“Keisha needs us,” Moore said. “She needs us to show up. She needs us to show out. And we are going to have her back because she’s always had ours.”

The focus on Black men is intentional. While Black voters remain a critical part of the Democratic coalition in Georgia, the AJC notes that Black men are somewhat more likely than Black women to support Republican candidates — a gap that could matter in a competitive statewide election.

Bottoms has already demonstrated the importance of Black voters to her campaign. She won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in May, powered by strong support from Black voters, particularly Black women.

Now, her campaign and allies are looking toward November.

Bottoms has repeatedly urged voters not to sit out the election, arguing that the issues at stake — from education and health care to jobs and voting rights — affect everyday Georgians.

The “Men for Keisha” rally offered another reminder that Bottoms’ path to history will depend not only on enthusiasm for the possibility of electing Georgia’s first Black woman governor, but on whether that enthusiasm translates into votes.