Additional races hanging in the balance

The city of Atlanta eagerly awaited to hear about who its next mayor — or more likely, mayoral runoff candidates — would be as the minutes dwindled toward midnight on Election Day, Nov. 7.

With 21 percent of precincts reporting, Keisha Lance Bottoms led the field at 28 percent, with Mary Norwood following her at 21 percent. Lesbian former City Council President Cathy Woolard was in the next tier of candidates at 14 percent, joined nearby by Peter Aman, Vincent Fort and Ceasar Mitchell at 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the fates of 12 other LGBT candidates and numerous allies in the metro Atlanta area hung in the balance. But candidates in other states had already made history.

With her win in Virginia Tuesday night, Danica Roem became the first openly transgender person elected to a state Legislature in U.S. history.

Roem defeated 25-year incumbent Bob Marshall, who the Victory Fund called “Bigot Bob” and who called himself the “chief homophobe” of the Virginia state Legislature, introducing numerous anti-LGBT bills in the process. Marshall also misgendered Roem in campaign literature and interviews.

Also making news nationally was Andrea Jenkins, who became the first openly trans person elected to the city council of a major U.S. city with her win in Minneapolis.

Raucous crowd at Woolard election night party

Meanwhile, Woolard and her supporters awaited results at her election night watch party at Six Feet Under in Grant Park, where the crowd cheered loudly upon hearing of Roem’s victory in Virginia.

“It’s great to be here,” Woolard told Geor- Cathy Woolard, Danica Roem and Andrea Jenkins (left to right) were LGBT candidates in the running on election night. (File and courtesy photos) gia Voice. “It’s been two-and-a-half years since I started. I’m really excited. We’ve got such a great network of supporters. It’s really cool.”

When asked about her plans should she make it into the runoff, Woolard said, “We sleep in tomorrow and then turn up and do our drill all over again; consolidate votes from other people who aren’t in the race and just keep going.”

And Woolard was certain the city was ready for an openly gay mayor.

“I was an openly gay city councilmember and city council president,” she said. “I think everybody’s ready. It’s really more about how we’re going to grow the city and who’s the best person to do that job and I think that person is me.”

Woolard addressed the crowd shortly before midnight, giving thanks in particular to Georgia Equality and the Human Rights Campaign. The crowd then roared as she thanked her wife.

There is plenty at stake in this election, including seven seats in the state Legislature. The city of Atlanta government is facing an overhaul not seen in years — come January, the city will have a new mayor, a new City Council president and at least half of the Atlanta City Council will be comprised of new faces.

A good bit of LGBT history is at stake as well. The city of Atlanta could have its first openly LGBT mayor, the Atlanta City Council could have the first openly LGBT Muslim elected in the U.S. and the Fulton County Commission and/or state House District 60 could have the first openly LGBT African-American man elected in Georgia (former state Rep. Rashad Taylor, a gay African-American man, was outed in office in 2011 and did not win reelection).

With eight viable candidates running for Atlanta mayor and ever-shifting poll numbers, there aren’t many certainties in this race, but if everyone involved agreed on one thing, it would be that it’s likely no one candidate will get the 50 percent plus one vote needed to win outright on Nov. 7 and that this race will go to a runoff to be decided Dec. 5.

Three City Council veterans face off in the race for president: C.T. Martin, Felicia Moore and Alex Wan, who was elected in 2009 and became the first Asian-American member and first openly gay man on the Council. Wan received the backing of Georgia Equality, Georgia Stonewall Democrats, the Human Rights Campaign and the Victory Fund, while Moore got the Georgia Log Cabin Republicans’ endorsement.

In other Atlanta City Council races, queer Muslim business owner Liliana Bakhtiari can make history with a win in District 5, which would make her the first openly LGBT Muslim elected in the U.S. Bakhtiari received the endorsements of Georgia Equality, Georgia Stonewall Democrats and the Victory Fund, while opponent David Orland Brown got the Georgia Log Cabin Republicans’ endorsement.

Gay federal program reviewer Bill Powell is running in District 1, but his incumbent opponent Carla Smith has the backing of Georgia Equality and Georgia Stonewall Democrats. And gay realtor Kirk Rich has the backing of Georgia Equality, Georgia Log Cabin Republicans and the Victory Fund in District 6 while his opponent Jennifer Ide got a nod from Georgia Stonewall Democrats. Gay Inman Middle School teacher Lock Whiteside was also in the District 6 contest but dropped out in May.

Lesbian Georgia state Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) left the state Legislature to run for Fulton County Commission Chair. Waites, who got endorsements from Georgia Equality and Georgia Stonewall Democrats, is up against former Fulton County Commissioner and Atlanta City Councilman Rob Pitts and Sandy Springs City Councilman Gabriel Sterling.

And in the District 4 race for the late Joan Garner’s seat, two gay men are among the six candidates facing off against each other. Reese McCranie, former deputy director of communications for Mayor Kasim Reed and current director of policy and communications for Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, nabbed the Georgia Stonewall Democrats’ endorsement. And neighborhood activist Josh McNair received the endorsements of Georgia Equality and the Victory Fund.

November 10, 2017