In battleground Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms faces a massive cash disadvantage in the race to replace term-limited Brian Kemp as governor. But less than two weeks out from Election Day, she's confident in her chances.
"My opponent has put over $100 million of his own money in this race. And this race is still tied," Bottoms said in an interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis that aired Thursday.
Bottoms' Republican opponent in the race, Rick Jackson, is a healthcare executive and billionaire.
Democratic candidate for Georgia Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at a campaign event on Oct. 17, 2026, in Marietta, Georgia.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
"I've said repeatedly over the course of this campaign: he has the money, but the people still have the power," Bottoms added.
A poll released Tuesday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows this year's governor's race statistically tied, with 46% of likely voters supporting Jackson, and 45% saying they're backing Bottoms.
Georgia hasn't elected a Democrat for governor since 1998.
Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson speaks during a campaign event, Sept. 28, 2026, in Forsyth, Ga.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Jackson declined ABC News' request for an interview.
In a statement, Jackson campaign spokesperson Garrison Douglas said: "As Rick travels across the state, engaging with voters directly and answering their questions, our campaign has been running an historic ground game operation alongside our media strategy."
The statement added: "Rick Jackson is not letting up, refusing to be outworked by anyone, and is committed to sharing his story and vision with Georgians every day."
Suspending the grocery tax
Bottoms spoke about her plans to address affordability, which she says she "didn't need a polling source to tell me."
In addition to suspending taxes on items like diapers and feminine hygiene products and funding an affordable housing trust fund for the state, Bottoms detailed a "grocery tax relief plan."
"It would give local governments the ability to suspend or end the grocery tax, because they are collected by local governments," Bottoms said.
Bottoms also said that as governor, she would stand up against the Trump administration's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement policies and cuts to federal agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'I completed the four-year term that I was elected to serve'
Many of the attacks on Bottoms from her political opponents stem from her time as mayor of Atlanta.
In this June 17, 2019, file photo, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks onstage during the City of Hope - Sylvia Rhone Spirit Of Life Kickoff Breakfast at St. Regis Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia.
Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for City Of Hope, FILE
Bottoms chose not to run for reelection in 2021 after a tumultuous first term in which she faced criticism over her handling of COVID-19 and city crime.
"Keisha Lance Bottoms had her chance to lead. The results were disastrous," Jackson said at a rally with President Trump in Dalton, Georgia last week.
Popular Reads
"Bad mayors don't make good governors," Jackson told the crowd.
Bottoms places the blame for a rise in crime rates on the pandemic.
"Just before things shut down -- which, we didn't shut down very long in Georgia -- I was touting a reduction in crime in our city," Bottoms told ABC.
"Then there was the pandemic, and then the governor made the decision to reopen Georgia ... So, our numbers went up, and we started seeing the trend before many other cities saw it."
Voters wait in line to participate in early voting, which includes midterm races for governor and a US Senate seat, at a polling place at the Sandy Springs public library in Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 14, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
According to data analysis from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, violent crime increased by 59% in Atlanta from 2019 to 2020, compared to an increase of 33% in other cities during that time period.
Bottoms also responded to criticism she's received for not seeking reelection during the difficult time for the city.
"I completed the four-year term that I was elected to serve," Bottoms said, calling the decision not to run again in 2021 "deeply personal."
"I had two kids in elementary school, one in middle school, one in high school ... And I was experiencing a number of health issues I'd never talked about publicly," said Bottoms.
"If I go to bed like my daddy did and I don't wake up, where do I want to spend these four years? And for me, it was wanting to be the best version of myself for my family. So that's very different than quitting," she added.
Would be the 1st Black woman governor in US
If elected in November, Bottoms would become the first Black woman governor in U.S. history.
She would also be the first woman and the first Black person elected governor in Georgia.
"My family goes back at least five generations in Georgia... I'm a descendant of slaves on both sides," Bottoms said, calling the potential milestone "much more personal" for her.