Joe Biden reportedly offered Keisha Lance Bottoms (pictured) a position in his Cabinet, which the Atlanta mayor turned down.

“Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was honored to have been offered a role in the Cabinet, which she respectfully declined,” Rashad Taylor, Bottoms’ senior advisor, said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

It is not clear which Cabinet position Bottoms was offered, or why she turned it down.

“The Mayor’s focus remains on the people of Atlanta and the great state of Georgia. Out of respect for the process, and the other candidates under consideration, no additional comment will be forthcoming on this matter at this time,” Taylor also said.

On Friday (December 11), speculation arose on social media based on a tweet from a news reporter. The journalist’s post appeared to confirm that Bottoms had been offered the position of ambassador to the Bahamas.

“She was never offered an Ambassadorship,” Taylor also said, refuting the social media claims by the news reporter.

The Biden Transition Press Office confirmed Taylor’s statement but also did not respond to a question about which Cabinet position was offered.

Bottoms was an early and staunch supporter of Biden’s campaign. She played a major role to help the former vice president win her state during the Democratic primaries.

The city of Atlanta’s predominantly black voting population was also vital in helping Biden eventually win Georgia in the general election.

Reference: Meara, P. (2020, December 15) Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Declines Biden Cabinet Position. Retrieved from https://www.bet.com/news/national/2020/12/14/keisha-lance-bottoms-atlanta-biden-cabinet-position.html