The race for Atlanta mayor enters an unpredictable new phase Monday with the start of early voting framing a make-or-break dash to November for the crowded field of contenders.

The airwaves will soon crackle with more ads. Mailboxes in Atlanta will get more stuffed with flyers, households with landlines more inundated with robocalls. And the candidates competing to succeed a term-limited Kasim Reed will be under more pressure to step up their games or pay the price.

“Now is the time they’ve got to make their moves ...”