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Keisha Lance Bottoms may be leaving the White House soon, but top advisers are working to ensure the former Atlanta Mayor stays close to the president as he gears up his re-election campaign.
Bottoms is set to step down from her role as senior adviser for Public Engagement later this month, having already agreed to serve in the role for months longer than she had initially planned. Now, top officials are in discussions with her about serving in a senior role either with President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign or with the Democratic National Committee, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
“There is no question the president wants Keisha involved in his political organization in any way she agrees to be involved,” a senior adviser told NBC News.
Bottoms was a key supporter and tireless surrogate for Biden’s last campaign, endorsing him in June 2019 the day after his tense exchange with then-rival Kamala Harris over his past support for busing. She was on Biden’s vice presidential shortlist, ultimately serving out her term as Atlanta mayor through January of 2022. She joined Biden’s senior White House staff last June.
In an interview with Al Sharpton on “Politics Nation” Sunday, Bottoms noted she had never moved full time to Washington, and was eager to spend more time with her family.
“I said that I would know when it was time. And my children are asking me — three of my four children are asking me to come home,” she said. “Georgia is home for me.”
In discussions with Bottoms, Biden aides have made clear they would tailor the role so she can remain in Atlanta. Bottoms has previously served as a DNC vice chair, and a top role with the committee is one option under discussion. Atlanta is considered the leading choice to host the Democratic National Convention in 2024, with a decision set to come this month that could provide another option for her.
Bottoms, though, told Sharpton Sunday that she also hasn’t “put to bed running for office again.”
“I don’t know if I ever will or not. But I am just looking forward to a future that continues to be full of purpose,” she said.
Biden singled Bottoms out during his remarks in Selma on Sunday, praising her work in his administration at a critical time. She came on board at a critical juncture as COVID restrictions loosened at the White House, and helped coordinate planning for major events there with key constituency groups and supporters, as well as messaging with other agency and department public engagement staff.
Bottoms, in the interview, noted that when she joined the administration “things weren’t looking so great.”
“Today, our poll numbers have gone up tremendously, we’ve opened up the doors to thousands of people who otherwise wouldn’t walk through the gates and reflect the voices of their communities. And we are in a good place.”
Bottoms replaced former Rep. Cedric Richmond as the head of Public Engagement. Former Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin will step into the post next month.