President Joe Biden is bringing on a rising Democratic star to help sell his agenda to an increasingly skeptical party base.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been tapped to replace Cedric Richmond as a senior White House aide, Axios reported Tuesday.
Bottoms will serve as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, where she will be tasked with developing Biden’s policies and selling them to the centrist and progressive wings of the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm primaries, according to the article.
Richmond left the White House for the Democratic National Committee earlier this spring, after calling Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib “f–king idiots.”
Bottoms told the outlet she plans to do “more listening than anything,” and said that “it’s important that people feel their voices are reflected and their voices are heard.”
The move comes as Biden grapples with low approval ratings dragged down by a lack of support from young people and racial minorities amid soaring inflation and violent crime.
Bottoms is replacing Cedric Richmond, who left the position earlier this spring for the Democratic National Committee. AP/Andrew HarnikBottoms has signed on for the job at least through the November elections, where Democrats are fighting to keep control of both chambers of Congress.
She has touted her experience as a big-city mayor in a southern swing state as an important insight into a key Biden constituency.
“I know what it’s like to lead through difficult times and how important it is to have strong leaders around you to navigate,” she told Axios.
Bottoms was on Biden’s short list of possible vice presidential candidates in 2020. AP/John Amis“We’ve been through some very challenging times, especially for African Americans in this country,” Bottoms said.
“Those challenges are still very fresh and real to me. And I live it every day: I live it as a black woman, I live it as a mother of four children, and I know where those challenges are, but I also know where the opportunities are.”
Bottoms chose not to run for re-election last year, and was on Biden’s short list of possible vice presidential candidates in 2020.
After serving as surrogate for the president on the campaign trail, she turned down an offer to head the Small Business Administration, the outlet reported.
