Mayor Andre Dickens launched his re-election campaign on Tuesday, March 12, with a focus on public safety, infrastructure, housing, and education.
With $1.4 million in campaign funds and support from notable figures such as former Mayors Andrew Young and Shirley Franklin and former State Sen. Jason Carter., Dickens said he wanted a second term to complete his vision of Atlanta.
“As I ran for mayor back in 2021, the goal was to serve for eight years — two terms — all the way to 2030 to be able to deliver all the things that we talked about,” Dickens said during the campaign launch.
Over the next eight months, Dickens said he planned to hold rallies and events – from coffee shops to barber shops – in each of the city’s 12 districts in the run-up to the November election.
While Dickens successfully swatted away a Buckhead secession attempt, celebrated the announcement of the 2026 World Cup matches in Atlanta, and weathered last summer’s broken water main crisis, he’s still dogged by controversy over the construction of the public safety training center that sparked protests, lawsuits, and increased costs.
His administration also clashed with the city’s Office of the Inspector General, leading to a major overhaul that some saw as weakening the office’s independence.
There’s also threats by the Trump administration to cut off federal funding for projects like The Stitch, the planned cap of the Downtown Connector.
So far, Dickens has two challengers: Walter Reeves, who ran against Dickens in 2021, and West Midtown resident Marcus Lamar.
This story has been updated to name Dickens’ challengers for the mayoral seat.
