Bottoms Campaigns In Metro Atlanta and Northwest Georgia, Highlighting Plans for Rural Georgians

Dalton, Ga. — This weekend, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms met with hundreds of Georgians in Decatur, Atlanta, Rome, Rockmart, Dalton, and Ringgold, outlining her vision for the state, including her plans to expand Medicaid, lower costs, and support Georgia's small businesses.

ATLANTA

On Friday morning, Keisha joined Black business owners  at the National Business League's 126th Annual Conference in Atlanta, where she highlighted her plans to support Georgia's small businesses by expanding Georgia's loan and grant programs. 

“If I am elected I want to be able to expand access to capital through small business loan grant funds the same way we did in the city of Atlanta,” said Keisha. “I also want to extend an opportunity for you all to compete with some of these major contracts that the state of Georgia disseminates each and every day."

Later that afternoon, Keisha joined the 2026 Georgia Nurses Association Conference where she discussed her plans to recruit and retain health care workers, protect rural hospitals, and lower health care costs for Georgians. 

 “You all deserve to be kept safe. You deserve to feel secure when you go into the workplace,” said Keisha. “We've had hundreds of millions of dollars cut from the federal government into the state of Georgia, from everything from health care to veteran support to education, you name it. From the CDC, it's been touched and it's been cut. So we got to stand in the gap. That includes making sure that you all are safe in the workplace, and also making sure that we are able to pick up the pieces where the federal government has left so much destruction.”

During a two-day swing across Northwest Georgia, Keisha heard directly from rural Georgians about the challenges and opportunities they’re facing, and discussed her plans to lower costs, increase investments in education, and expand Medicaid to protect rural hospitals and lower health care costs.

ROME 

On Friday evening, Keisha kicked off her swing through Northwest Georgia at the Floyd County Democrats’ Georgia Giants fundraiser. In her remarks, she outlined the stakes of this year’s elections.

Keisha said, “When Rick Jackson says he wants to be Trump's favorite governor, it makes me think about who's favorite governor I want to be. I want to be the favorite governor of that mother who's trying to figure out if she's gonna be able to put enough gas in the car to get to work on Sunday. I want to be the favorite governor of that young man who I met who said that he couldn't afford his insulin anymore because he had just turned 26 and he had been kicked off his parents' health care insurance. I want to be the favorite governor of that student who's saying I am trying to figure out if I buy food, if I pay rent, or if I pay my tuition this week.”

Saturday morning, Keisha also held a meet and greet in Rome where she highlighted her focus on supporting Georgia's small businesses.

“The owner of this great spot said she just opened up three weeks ago, Ivy. We also have to support people like Ivy,” said Keisha. “Small businesses employ more than half the people in this state. People like my mother owned a small business for many years. She owned a hair salon, and it allowed her to pay our bills to keep a roof over our heads when my dad went to prison.”

ROCKMART 

On Saturday morning, Keisha stopped by the Polk County Democrats’ Pancake Breakfast to hear from community members about the issues that matter most to them and highlighted her plans to expand Medicaid, increase state investments in early education, and lower costs for hard working Georgians. 

“That’s the $1 billion question: why have we not expanded Medicaid in Georgia? We've had nine hospitals close. We're paying into a system that's helping to pay for healthcare across the country. 300,000 people uninsured — we left $700 million on the table, and the interesting thing about the guy I'm running against is that he has a health care staffing company that benefits from this broken health care system,” said Keisha.

RINGGOLD

On Saturday afternoon, Keisha was joined by local elected and party leaders for a meet and greet in Ringgold, where she discussed her plans to fully fund education statewide and increase teacher salaries to meet the current needs of students and educators. 

“When I think about the Georgia that I want for my children, I'm thinking about the Georgia that I know you want for your communities and your families as well. We want great schools where our kids can thrive, where our educators are supported.” said Keisha. “Average starting teacher pay in the states is $48,000 a year. Teachers are saying, ‘I am having to work two and three jobs just to educate your children, and it is taxing on my family and making it difficult for me to pay my bills.”

DALTON 

On Saturday evening, Keisha joined local elected and party leaders at the Whitfield County Democrats’ Kennedy-Carter Dinner, where she delivered the keynote address and underscored the contrast in the race. 

Keisha said, “So when Rick Jackson says that there's not a single solitary thing that he disagrees with Trump on regarding his policies. Let us believe him when he tells us that. He believes in tariffs that are disrupting agribusiness in this state, that our education department should be underfunded. He agrees that our veterans should get subpar care because that is what Donald Trump is doing when he underfunds the VA in this country. The list goes on and on and on.”