Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Rejects Offer For Biden Cabinet Position

Topline

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) turned down an offer to be a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet, a spokesman said Saturday, with nominees for about half of the positions atop executive branch departments yet to be announced.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was honored to have been offered a role in the Cabinet, which she respectfully declined,” Taylor said in a statement. “Out of respect for the process, and the other candidates under consideration, no additional comment will be forthcoming on this matter at this time.”

Key Background

Bottoms has gained national prominence within the Democratic Party since becoming mayor in 2018 and her visibility has grown this year after a public dispute over Covid restrictions with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and her outspoken response in support of racial justice after unrest in the city following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Bottoms would have likely served to alleviate at least some of the concern among Democrats that Biden’s Cabinet picks have thus far not lived up to his diversity promises. That criticism reportedly sparked a heated call between Biden and civil rights leaders earlier this week.

Big Number

15. That’s how many Cabinet-level positions currently exist, excluding the vice president.

Further Reading

Biden Administration: Here’s Who Has Been Named So Far (NPR)

Biden Reportedly Considering Gov. Andrew Cuomo For Attorney General (Forbes)

Atlanta Mayor Blames Out-Of-Towners From Locked-Down Cities For String Of Nightclub Shootings (Forbes)

Audio Reveals Heated Exchange Between Biden And Black Leaders Over Cabinet, Police Reform (Forbes)