AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.She Was Atlanta’s Mayor in the Pandemic. Now She Wants to Lead the State. Keisha Lance Bottoms is the Democrats’ front-runner as the Georgia primary for governor approaches. But her party rivals are trying to ensure she has to face a runoff.Listen · 8:36 min Keisha Lance Bottoms arriving this month to vote early in the Georgia primary. Credit...Brynn Anderson/Associated PressBy Rick Rojas and Michelle BaruchmanReporting from AtlantaMay 18, 2026Updated 1:06 p.m. ETKeisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor and the front-runner on the Democratic side of the Georgia governor’s race, already has her sights set on the November election, with President Trump as her chief foil.But her competitors in the Democratic primary on Tuesday are betting that she will not get enough votes to avoid a runoff in June. The candidates essentially vying for second place have tried hard to differentiate themselves: Geoff Duncan is a former Republican hoping to appeal to moderates. Jason Esteves is emphasizing his relative youth, as a millennial, and his mix of business and political experience. And Michael Thurmond is a low-key moderate who highlights his decades spent working in state and local government.But they have been unified in their argument that Ms. Bottoms has vulnerabilities — namely, harsh reviews of her single term as mayor of the state’s largest city — that could deny Democrats a win in an election where they have high hopes of claiming the governor’s office for the first time in more than two decades.“Georgians are looking for an alternative option,” Mr. Esteves, a former state senator, said in an interview. “One that doesn’t have baggage, one that has a clear vision for the future, that gives people something to vote for, not just against.”ImageDemocratic candidates for governor, from left: Keisha Lance Bottoms, Olu Brown, Amanda Duffy, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Derrick Jackson and Michael Thurmond during a debate in April. Credit...Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated PressThank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT