Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic Candidate for Georgia Governor, has historically supported the effort to boycott businesses not aligned with her politics. The only time she didn’t support this effort, however, was when she was personally connected to the affected business.
When did this occur? In 2021, mass boycotts were called for Georgia businesses after Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed new election guidelines into law. These new rules were extremely controversial and cost Georgia the opportunity to host the MLB All-Star game.
Keisha Lance Bottoms supported this effort at first, stating via X:
- “Just as elections have consequences, so do the actions of those who are elected. Unfortunately, the removal of the MLB All-Star game from GA is likely the 1st of many dominoes to fall, until the unnecessary barriers put in place to restrict access to the ballot box are removed.”
What changed? Just days after the boycotts began to ramp up, however, Bottoms changed her position. When the boycotts turned against Fortune 500 companies, like Home Depot, she stated:
- “My concern with a boycott, not just at Home Depot but any of the … Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered in Atlanta, is that you will impact families like ours. And I do think that there is a more effective way for us to get the necessary change that’s needed in the state.”
Why the change? Derek Bottoms, the husband of Keisha Lance Bottoms, works as the Vice President of Employment Practices and Associate Relations for Home Depot. As it turns out, Bottoms will support a boycott against Georgia businesses, but not if it affects her personally.
Exclusive Comment from Garrison Douglas, Rick Jackson Campaign Spokesman:
- "Keisha Lance Bottoms' boycott record tells you everything about how she leads, because she was perfectly happy to see Georgia businesses targeted when it scored her political points, but the one time a boycott risked impacting her wallet, that’s where she drew the line. Georgians know that with Keisha Lance Bottoms, the rules always bend to whatever serves Keisha Lance Bottoms."
