Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Joins CNN as Political Commentator

“A dream deferred is never a dream denied,” Bottoms wrote on Twitter

Keisha Lance Bottoms
(Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Monday she’s joining CNN as a political commentator.

Bottoms, who served one term as the 60th mayor of the city, shared the news on Twitter with a quote from Langston Hughes and recalled her dream of being a journalist in college.

“As a @FAMU_1887 student, I applied for the coveted VJ program at @CNN and didn’t get in,” the 52-year-old began in her Tweet. “To now join the team nearly 30 yrs later is a reminder that a dream deferred is never a dream denied.”

Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022. In May 2021, she stunned Atlanta residents by announcing in an open letter that she would not seek re-election. “It is with deep emotions that I hold my head high and choose not to seek another term as mayor,” Bottoms wrote. She also declined an invitation to join President Joe Biden’s cabinet.

The Florida A&M university alum studied broadcast journalism, and will join Ana Navarro and Van Jones in political commentary. After undergrad and before her stint as the second African American woman to be elected Atlanta mayor, Bottoms earned her J.D. from Georgia State University. She practiced law as a prosecuting attorney and then as a magistrate judge.

From 2010 to 2017, she served as a member of the Atlanta City Council, representing District 11.

Bottoms currently serves as vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection for the Democratic National Committee. 

CNN did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Comments