5 things to know about the upcoming Atlanta elections

Published On: August 17, 2025

1. Qualifying kicks off campaign season

The week of August 18, candidates will swarm Atlanta City Hall to turn in their qualifying documents, formally launching their bids.

The playing field isn’t officially established until the clerk’s office gathers the required paperwork and qualifying fees, even though dozens of candidates filed for Atlanta’s top political offices months ago.

This implies that there might be some unexpected last-minute candidates, even though we don’t expect them. We’ll be watching for any unexpected filings, especially in the campaigns for council president and mayor.

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2. Dickens seeks a second term

After an intense and widely followed mayoral contest in 2021, Atlanta’s first-term mayor and former council member shocked the city by winning.

With only a few unknown contenders posing a serious danger, his reelection campaign seems to be much easier. Dickens has approximately $2.2 million in cash on hand and has raised just under $4 million to support his reelection campaign, according to his most recent campaign finance disclosure filing.

Dickens’ predecessor, former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, was the only mayor of Atlanta in modern history to not serve a second term in office, and that was because Bottoms decided not to run for reelection.

Helmut Love, a consultant; Eddie Meredith, a community activist; Marcus Lamar, a financial manager; Walter Reeves, a former mayoral candidate; Larmetria Trammell; and Kalema Jackson are his current rivals.

3. President race pits council member against newcomer

Perhaps the most intriguing race to follow this year is the contest for the open Atlanta City Council President position. In February, current Council President Doug Shipman unexpectedly announced that he would not compete for office again, citing health concerns in his family.

Shortly thereafter, longtime Council member Marci Collier Overstreet, who has been on the council since 2018, filed to run for the vacant seat, as was to be expected.

Then, in May, Rohit Malhotra, a well-known nonprofit leader from Atlanta, also ran for the coveted presidency. The Civic Center for Innovation, a policy house that frequently questions Dickens government decisions, was founded by Malhotra and was previously its executive director.

Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN

4. Three council districts are open races

Additionally, two members of the Atlanta City Council declared they will not run for reelection this year. This implies that three council seats are up for grabs, in addition to Overstreet’s open seat.

After more than 20 years on the body, Howard Shook, the city’s budget chief, is retiring. One of the two conservative seats on the Council, District 7, is up for grabs after his resignation.

Additionally, District 2 Council member Amir Farokhi declared in February that he would be leaving to become the head of The Galloway School, a private school that educates children from preschool through the twelfth grade.

Thanks to TNS