Atlanta mayoral hopeful Ceasar Mitchell launched the first video in his campaign on Thursday.
The two-minute spot is entitled “Believe.”
“I’m excited to enter this next phase of my campaign and kick it up a notch,” Mitchell, who is currently president of the Atlanta City Council, said. “I’m focused on keeping this momentum by working hard every day for the people of Atlanta, listening to their ideas, their hopes, and their dreams. As our city continues to grow, we have to provide opportunities for everyone, no matter who you are or where you live.”
Qualifying runs from Aug. 22-25 for the Nov. 7 election replace incumbent Mayor Kasim Reed, who cannot run for reelection. Mitchell is one of several candidates running for mayor, and has been endorsed by former mayor and U.S. ambassador Andrew Young and Rev. Joseph Lowery, as well as the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
In an exclusive 11Alive poll released last month, Mitchell trailed frontrunner Mary Norwood, 27% to 10%. Norwood came within less than 900 votes of defeating Reed eight years ago for mayor.
Mitchell and first-time candidate Peter Aman have raised the most money so far in this year’s Atlanta mayor’s race. The latest campaign filings show Aman and Mitchell having raised $1.6 million each.
Norwood came in second in fundraising over the last quarter, raising $336,930 compared to Mitchell's $305,361.
Overall, Norwood trails Aman and Mitchell, with $1,019,464, but has more cash on hand than Mitchell: $653,278 to $529,341.
Mitchell’s campaign said that 81% of contributions have come from individual donors.
