Adviser says Atlanta mayor turned down Biden Cabinet offer

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) turned down an offer to take on a position in President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet, her senior adviser said on Saturday.

The mayor’s senior adviser Rashad Taylor told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement that Biden offered Bottoms a Cabinet position, but she didn’t take it. 

“Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was honored to have been offered a role in the Cabinet, which she respectfully declined,” Taylor said.

Taylor declined to identify the position, although he said she “was never offered an Ambassadorship.”

“The Mayor’s focus remains on the people of Atlanta and the great state of Georgia,” Taylor said. “Out of respect for the process, and the other candidates under consideration, no additional comment will be forthcoming on this matter at this time.”

The Biden transition team confirmed to the newspaper that the Atlanta mayor was offered a job but also did not identify which position it was.

There’s been speculation about Bottoms joining the Biden administration after she backed the candidate for months and campaigned for him. The mayor was also vetted as a contender for Biden’s running mate before Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was selected in August. 

The newspaper reported that she was considered to lead the Small Business Administration or the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a post which was given to Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).

Bottoms, who has about a year left on her term, has said she will run for reelection.