U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is set to visit Atlanta on Sunday to boost mayoral candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms' campaign as the councilwoman makes a final push for help from Democratic heavyweights, according to two officials with knowledge of the visit.
The California Democrat has already endorsed Bottoms’ campaign on social media, joining other high-profile party figures including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former state Sen. Jason Carter, the 2014 nominee for Georgia governor.
Harris is set to hold her get out the vote rally for Bottoms at 5:30 on Sunday in Midtown. Bottoms’ allies are also pushing to recruit other big-name politicians to visit before the Tuesday runoff against Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who is running as an independent.
Norwood has come under sustained fire from the Democratic Party of Georgia and Bottoms’ campaign who are depicting her as a “closet Republican.” The state party unleashed a new round of attacks this week, including a TV ad that links her to the president.
Several prominent Democrats who back Norwood, including former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and ex-City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, criticized the party this week for backing Bottoms, who has made her Democratic affiliation key to her campaign.
Norwood has long bristled at the attacks that she’s a closet Republican. She’s said she voted for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and calls herself a “progressive independent” who wants to maintain her political neutrality so she can better work across party lines.
Harris, often mentioned as a potential 2020 presidential candidate, was last in Atlanta in September. At that appearance, she took aim at Trump from the altar of the First Congregational Church of Atlanta on its 150th anniversary, warning that there are "forces of hate and division trying to tear us apart."
You’ll find more on PoliticallyGeorgia.com, including these stories:
Of ‘thugs’ and ‘coded language’ Atlanta mayoral candida tes clash in GPB debate
With Atlanta mayor vote, a fabled bipartisan alliance comes to an end
A closer look at the big-name endorsements in the Atlanta mayor’s race
Atlanta mayoral hopefuls call for transparency. How do they measure up?
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