Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young will endorse Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottom's campaign for mayor as she readies for a Dec. 5 runoff against Councilwoman Mary Norwood.
Bottoms' campaign said the endorsement from Young, a former Atlanta mayor and civil rights icon, will be formally announced on Wednesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation & Aquatic Center at 10:30 a.m.
Young earlier endorsed former City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, who finished in sixth-place in this month's first round of voting. And Mitchell on Tuesday endorsed Norwood, triggering a war of words with Bottoms campaign and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
Bottoms has picked up a sweep of other endorsements as she tries to consolidate Democratic support.
Jason Carter, the 2014 Democratic nominee for governor, joined a half-dozen current and former state lawmakers to back Bottoms on Monday. Stacey Evans, one of two Democratic candidates for governor in next year's contest, backed her on Tuesday. (Bottoms said she would endorse Evans "at the appropriate time.")
Meanwhile, more endorsements are in the works. Ex-state Sen. Vincent Fort is set to pick a side at a press conference scheduled this morning. He's keeping tight-lipped, but he seems unlikely to throw his support behind Bottoms after warring with her and the mayor through much of the campaign.
And Cathy Woolard, who notched a surprisingly strong third-place finish, will hold an event next week with both candidates as she tries to hash out her pick for the city's next leader.
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