With Georgia’s Abrams Out, A Former Mayor Announces Senate Bid

Georgia Democrat and former Columbus mayor Teresa Tomlinson says she’s officially running for the U.S. Senate in 2020, just one day after fellow Democrat Stacey Abrams announced she wouldn’t run.

Tomlinson announced her candidacy on Wednesday for the seat now held by incumbent Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue, who in his first term has emerged as a close ally of President Donald Trump.

Tomlinson had previously signaled that she’d run only if Abrams, who grabbed national attention during her unsuccessful run for Georgia governor last year, was out.

In a statement accompanying her announcement, Tomlinson took aim at Republican leaders, saying she wants to see a government in Washington “without all the crazy and the mean.”

Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and Abrams had been heavily recruited by Democratic party leaders to run. Abrams’ decision not to was a high-profile recruiting blow to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Tomlinson’s campaign says she raised $265,000 within hours of Abrams bowing out.

The 54-year-old Tomlinson served two-terms as mayor of Columbus, Georgia’s second-largest city. She touts reducing crime, reforming budgeting and connecting neighborhoods with trails for walking and biking as accomplishments of her tenure.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee called Tomlinson a “second-tier” candidate and part of a “JV-team primary,” while praising Purdue in an email Wednesday.