Former President Biden dropped his first endorsement of the 2026 midterm cycle on Friday morning, backing former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Georgia governor’s race .

Lance Bottoms made a surprise decision not to run for reelection as mayor in 2021 and then joined the Biden administration as a special adviser .

“As mayor of Atlanta, Keisha faced every challenge a leader could face, and then some — a global pandemic, a major cyberattack on the city system, economic uncertainty that tested every community across Georgia,” Biden said in a video released Monday. “She handled the law with steady leadership.”

“And then she came to the White House, served as a senior adviser. And I’ll tell you, those same colleagues that made her a great mayor made her invaluable to our administration. Smart, focused, gets things done. Georgia, she’s ready. She’s been ready,” he added.…