GA Working Families Party endorses six Atlanta candidates as “progressive champions”

“With the first pick in the Working Families Party candidate endorsement draft, we are proud to choose, for Atlanta City Council president, Rohit Malhotra!” a voiceover bellowed as family, friends and supporters cheered at Ali Events at Lakewood on Thursday night. 

In the spirit of a major sports league draft, Malhotra and many selections after him pumped their fists and clapped their way up front to receive their Georgia Working Families Party (WFP) candidate draftee jerseys.

“The Working Families Party is building something very special in Atlanta,” said Malhotra, WFP’s only endorsement for the November 2025 elections prior to this endorsement reveal party. “I am so proud to join existing council members (Jason) Dozier and (Liliana) Bakhtiari—both of whom I have a strong relationship with—and a new generation of candidates who share our campaign’s focus on economic mobility for Atlanta. This is what true power-building looks like—and this is how we will win.”

In addition to Dozier in District 4 and Bakhtiari in District 5, WFP endorsed District 3 candidate Perrin Bostic and District 2 candidate Kelsea Bond for city council. Bond, who uses they/them pronouns, said they were thrilled to be part of the endorsed group and represent a bold party platform.

“Atlanta voters know the status quo isn’t working, and they’re ready to vote for change this November,” Bond said. “It’s time to get some fresh, progressive voices into City Hall to fight for affordable housing, public transit, voter democracy and an economy that works for regular people.”

These top issues of Bond’s campaign align with the WFP 2025 Economic Mobility Mandate, a policy platform that each candidate signed onto as a condition of endorsement. The mandate includes five points “committed to building a state where every resident has a real opportunity to thrive…with equity, access and community power at the core.”

1. Housing & Community Stability
2. Public Safety & Community Well-Being
3. Jobs, Wages & Economic Justice
4. Government Transparency & Civic Power
5. Health, Access & Environmental Justice

“It’s a call to action to our Georgia Working Families community to come together and organize for a better Georgia amid ongoing attacks on our freedoms,” WFP Deputy Southeast Regional Director Fallon McClure explained. “It is an invitation to all of us to imagine what our communities could look like if we centered care and the dignity of all people. This mandate was a collective effort with community partners from around the issue areas adding their expertise and their experiences.”

Rounding out the Atlanta slate was Royce Mann, District 8 Atlanta Board of Education candidate. He echoed calls for bold progressive leadership and underscored the need to combat authoritarianism locally.

“As the only candidate for Atlanta Board of Education to be endorsed by the Working Families Party, I am ready to be the champion our students, families and educators deserve,” Mann said. “I look forward to supporting the values of WFP’s Economic Mobility Mandate by increasing wraparound services for families, expanding apprenticeship programs and achieving free MARTA access for students.”

Liz Graham, a WFP member and volunteer leader in Westview, called this a day of hope amid recent years’ demoralizing results in local, state and federal politics.

“We’re all tired of having to rah-rah for lukewarm candidates,” Graham said. “We deserve progressive champions—folks who have lived the working-class struggle and know that we need to do better than just pre-Trump. And that’s what we saw tonight. These candidates are not the status quo. And I couldn’t be happier about that.”

For more information on the Georgia Working Families Party and its full endorsement list and platform, visit workingfamilies.org/state/georgia.