Back in 2009, Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed were locked in a tight runoff to become the next mayor of Atlanta.

In the final ballot round, Norwood trailed Reed by a mere 700 votes. One of the reasons: The Georgia Democratic party had weighed in on Reed’s side, spending at least $165,000 attacking Norwood as a closet Republican.

The Atlanta city councilwoman is determined that the same label won’t sink her in 2017. While members of the Democratic National Committee, including Mayor Reed, were casting ballots in the tight race for chairman, Norwood dropped in for a little schmoozing.

We provide the proof above.

In one of the post-ballot lulls, we tracked down Reed, who had already noticed Norwood. “It’s not going to work. But it’s a nice stunt. You can’t change the past, baby,” the mayor said.

Norwood isn’t the only candidate for mayor who has taken out party identity insurance. Businessman Peter Aman, once the city’s COO, was a prominent visitor to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last year.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com