The latest Atlanta mayoral forum had all the makings of a normal campaign event. The leading candidates for mayor pitched their platforms inside the historic Manuel’s Tavern as supporters waved signs and cheered outside.
But unlike the last time the candidates gathered — just three weeks ago — the coronavirus pandemic was the infectious elephant in the room. Most of the 90-plus attendees wore masks, as did the candidates, who sat shoulder-to-shoulder at the front of a packed room.
“There was no social distancing … For me, it was just not worth the risk to not wear my mask,” mayoral candidate and City Council President Felicia Moore said after the forum, which was the first candidate event since the emergence of the delta variant changed what was already an unusual campaign season in Atlanta.
Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Up until a few weeks ago, COVID cases were going down, large in-person events were back and City Hall was set to reopen to the public.
But the spread of the variant, which led Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to reinstate a citywide mask mandate, has the candidates for mayor retooling some of their plans for events, fundraisers and neighborhood canvassing efforts heading into the fall.
Candidates still plan to utilize door-to-door volunteers with COVID precautions in place, and will continue to seek face-to-face interactions with big donors in person — crucial outreach efforts for local elections in which fundraising and voter turnout can make all the difference.
But the candidates may consider a return to more virtual events because of the rise in COVID cases and delta’s emergence. Some are also hiring COVID coordinators to maintain good health practices.
“Months ago there was optimism about what you could literally do in the public square with regards to campaigning, but here we are, like Groundhog Day,” Emory University political science professor Michael Leo Owens said.
The candidates are continuing with plans to hold some in-person events, and residents can still expect to see candidates or their staff knocking on their doors over the next several months.
Lance Jones, Councilman Antonio Brown’s campaign manager, said their strategy adjusted due to the pandemic, including using online organizing tools, magnifying their vote-by-mail program, “COVID-proofing” their canvassing and requiring masks at events.
Moore said her team is still canvassing door-to-door while wearing masks, and she hasn’t made any major changes in outreach due in part to her campaign beginning “mostly all-virtual” in January. She said they’re currently retooling one of their next fundraisers into a virtual event, and she expects more hybrid and virtual events this year if the delta variant “continues to spiral out of control.”
Normally, high-powered political campaigns include a flurry of events and fundraisers such as meet-and-greets at supporters’ homes and rallies across the city.
But the pandemic upended the 2020 campaign season, leading the Democratic Party to largely rely on remote efforts like virtual events, phone calls and text messages for the general election. The Democratic party only resumed door-knocking, with masks and social distancing, ahead of the crucial Senate runoffs.
“If I were advising a campaign, I would say, we’re hitting doors still, but we’re masked up and we’re still keeping distance,” said Nick Juliano, a political strategist and consultant who has worked on campaigns in Atlanta. “I’m a firm believer that field (outreach) wins campaigns.”
That’s because campaigns can look up addresses on voter files to identity residents who are likely to vote, and then target them directly.
The future of fundraisers are a bigger question, Juliano said.
Virtual fundraisers can be successful and save time and money — Bottoms raised over $500,000 during a Zoom fundraiser with President Joe Biden in March. But big-dollar donors often prefer the in-person face time, Juliano said.
“Here in town, people really want to know their next mayor and have them in their living room,” he said.
Former Mayor Kasim Reed kicked off his bid for a third term on his birthday with a large fundraiser at actor Tyrese Gibson’s house. On Friday, he gathered with supporters at Tyler Perry Studios for another fundraiser.
Reed campaign manager Robert West said their team plans to follow COVID precautions at their events, which include temperature checks for attendees. The campaign is also bringing a COVID coordinator onboard, and is still doing door-to-door canvassing, West said.
The candidates have continued to visit neighborhoods throughout the city to garner support and meet residents. All the leading candidates mingled with residents at the citywide National Night Out events weeks ago.
Attorney Sharon Gay’s campaign continually evaluates and adjusts procedures according to the rate of COVID’s spread in the Atlanta metro area and the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement from Gay’s campaign.
Everyone involved with Gay’s campaign is vaccinated and they rely on phone and video conferences to conduct most of their meetings and voter outreach efforts, according to the statement.
Dickens said the emergence of the delta variant combined with the high number of unvaccinated people is “making life more difficult for everyone.” His campaign had several large events that had been planned for indoor venues, but they are now looking for outdoor options like breweries or a supporter’s back deck.
“You just have to play it safe and be aware that this variant is deadlier than the original,” he said.
Amid the spread of the variant, and with the mayor’s mask mandate in place, candidates may also become more mindful about how their events are perceived when it comes to COVID precautions.
Owens said he expects the campaigns to host more virtual events because more “glad-handing” in public amid a rise in cases could “send a message that you don’t quite care about public health.”
“We’re back in this moment that we didn’t think we would be back in. It’s got to have negative consequences for what the campaigning can look like,” he said. “God forbid you hold an event with a lot of people and people label it a super-spreader event.”
Election Date: Nov. 2.
Major candidates: Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown; Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens; Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore; Attorney Sharon Gay; former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
Filing deadline: Aug. 20.
*Runoff election: Nov. 30.
* Runoff happens if no single candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote.
