Photo: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock
The Atlanta mayor is in the running to be Biden's VP.
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Jun 16, 2020
The veep-stakes is heating up this summer. The closer we get to the Democratic National Convention — which will probably be virtual to maintain safety in the face of the pandemic — the closer the Biden campaign gets to choosing a VP for the former VP. Biden, the nominee, has already pledged that he will choose a woman to be his second in command. Now the question is, which of the many strong Democratic women in politics will he choose?
One name that has started to come up regularly is Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The former judge and city council member has been serving her hometown as mayor since 2018. She is a respected figure and constituents have been pleased with her handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in their city.
In addition to her political work, Bottoms is a mother of four and she has been married for 26 years to her husband Derek Bottoms.
Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms' husband, Derek Bottoms?
Is he a potential Second Gentleman?
Derek Bottoms is a political spouse so he's accustomed to being the support system behind the scenes. Right now, he's watching along with the rest of the country as Biden ponders who will be his Vice Presidential pick for 2020. But for Bottoms, he knows that the choice could change everything in his life. If his wife is selected and a Biden/Bottoms ticket goes all the way, he would be the first male spouse of a Vice President. Not only that, but he would also be part of the first Black family to live in the Vice President's residence.
The Biden campaign hasn't said one way or another how seriously they are considering Mayor Bottoms at this time, but a spokesperson for the campaign has praised her leadership. "Her passion, her empathy and her strong and steady leadership are shining through during this difficult moment, and the city of Atlanta is lucky to have her leading the way,” T.J. Ducklo said.
Biden himself was more effusive. In a roundtable discussion that included the Mayor, he said to her "I’ve watched you like millions and millions of Americans have on television of late. Your passion, your composure, your balance has been really incredible.”
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her husband Derek.
How long has the couple been married?
The Mayor and her husband met when they were both studying at the University of Georgia Law School. Bottoms is about four years older than his wife, who is 50 years old. The couple dated for several years before getting married in 1994.
They have four children together.
The Mayor and her husband both wanted children but struggled for a long time with infertility. Mayor Bottoms has been open about their journey to parenthood and explained that it was hard for her to switch paths from seeking a way to conceive to choosing adoption. She told reporters in 2014 that is was her husband who was ready to take that step first, but she followed his lead once he had the idea. Since then, they have adopted three sons and a daughter, Lincoln, Langston, Lennox, and Lance. Their older kids are now 18, 14, and the youngest two, who are twins, are 10 years old.
He works for Home Depot.
Derek Bottoms is a longtime employee for Home Depot. He is the Vice President of Employment Practices and Associate Relations for the Atlanta-based company. He has been there for about 18 years, after spending time working at a law firm before that.
He does extensive charity work.
In addition to his work at Home Depot, he sits on a number of boards for Atlanta organizations, including the Grady Health Foundation, which supports the health system and at one time he was on the board for the Georgia Justice Project, a legal defense organization.
The future looks exciting for Mayor Bottoms.
Bottoms has supported his wife as she pursued her work as a judge and an Atlanta City Council member before her election as Mayor. Even if she isn't selected as Vice President, she could have a future in national politics.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. She is the creator of the blog FeminXer and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.