It's crunch time for Atlanta's mayor race, and the election is as volatile as ever

The contest for mayor of Atlanta is as volatile as ever.

Polling shows four leading candidates gunning for two spots in a probable December runoff — and several other credible contenders still in the running. The 13-person field runs the gamut, from a Bernie Sanders-style liberal dangling free college tuition to a self-styled independent who proudly poses with local Republican heavyweights.

The next Atlanta mayor will be charting the course for the Southeast's economic engine, guiding billions of dollars in infrastructure spending and setting the policy for Georgia's principal city. And, with only about six weeks left until the Nov. 7 election, the race remains wide open.