ATLANTA — Time is inching closer to the November mayoral race in Atlanta. With Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms declaring early on that she wouldn't be running, all eyes have been on who could possibly be her successor.
An 11Alive SurveyUSA Poll shows that the former mayor, Kasim Reed, is ahead of the other candidates, making him well-positioned in the upcoming race.
Reed takes 18% of the vote, up a marginal point from the previous poll in July. City Council President Felicia Moore is at 8%, which is down a nominal two points from the previous poll.
However, there are 31% who listed themselves as undecided. That's more than the combined percentages for Reed and Moore. There is still time for the candidates to change that.
Bottoms assumed office in January 2018, after defeating Mary Norwood by a margin of a little over 800 votes. Her 2019 was marked by expanding the BeltLine to the south side, announcing pay raises for Atlanta's firefighters and making progress on her criminal justice reform priorities - such as her efforts to close the city jail and her moves to restrict public access to minor offense records - as well as her affordable housing and homeless initiatives.
And in 2020, Atlanta was put in the national spotlight after the police killing of Rayshard Brooks. Protests sparked around the city as people demanded justice in the case. And this year, Bottoms has put some of her focus on initiatives to battle COVID-19 and crime.
In the poll, 62% approved the job Bottoms has done as mayor, with 24% disapproving. Among those who approve of Bottoms' job performance, Reed leads Moore by 11. Among those who disapprove, Reed leads Dickens by 4.
Many of the voters say crime will be a major factor in their vote. Another top topic included the coronavirus.
SurveyUSA interviewed 650 adults from Atlanta between Sept. 28 through Oct. 5. Out of those surveyed, 562 said they are registered to vote, with many likely to participate in next month's election. Below is the list of questions.
Are you registered to vote in the state of Georgia?
87% Yes
11% No
3% Not Sure
Atlanta will elect a mayor in November. Not everyone makes the time to vote in every election. Which best describes you? Are you certain to vote? Will you probably vote? Are the chances you will vote about 50/50? Or will you probably not vote?
76% Certain To Vote
15% Will Probably Vote
5% 50/50 Chance
3% Probably Will Not Vote
0% Not Sure
Incumbent Mayor Kiesha Lance Bottoms is not running for another term. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the job Keisha Lance Bottoms has done as Mayor of Atlanta?
62% Approve
24% Disapprove
14% Not Sure
If you were filling out your ballot for Atlanta Mayor today, and these were the only candidates, who would you vote for? [Candidate names read and displayed to respondents in random order; ranked here for ease of comprehension]
18% Kasim Reed
8% Felicia Moore
5% Sharon A. Gay
5% Rebecca L. King
5% Andre Dickens
5% Antonio Brown
4% Kenny Hill
4% Walter Reeves
4% Richard N. Wright
3% Mark Hammad
3% Glenn S. Wrightson
2% Nolan English
1% Kristin Dunn
1% Roosevelt Searles III
31% Undecided
Would a candidate being under investigation for alleged campaign finance violations be a major factor in your vote? A minor factor? Or not a factor at all?
64% Major Factor
25% Minor Factor
5% Not a Factor
6% Not Sure
Will the amount of crime in Atlanta be a major factor in your vote? A minor factor? Or not a factor at all?
76% Major Factor
16% Minor Factor
5% Not a Factor
3% Not Sure
And in the election for City Council President, if you were filling out your ballot today, and these were the only candidates, who would you vote for? [Candidate names read and displayed to respondents in random order; ranked here for ease of comprehension]
13% Mike Russell
13% Courtney English
10% Natalyn Archibong
9% Doug Shipman
4% Sam Manuel
51% Undecided