With most of the precincts reporting, Dickens held a strong lead over Moore, the current council president, throughout much of the city. The Associated Press called the race for Dickens at 10:30 p.m.
Dickens will succeed Keisha Lance Bottoms, who did not run for a second term and endorsed Dickens to replace her as mayor, a job Dickens said he has wanted since he was a teenager.
Running a campaign focused on public safety and restoring the “soul of Atlanta,” Dickens overcame early low name recognition and polling numbers to secure a runoff spot with just 600 more votes than former mayor Kasim Reed.
Moore was considered the frontrunner going into the runoff after getting 41% of the vote in the general election, but Dickens quickly gained momentum, fresh big-name endorsements and a fundraising advantage.
While Moore performed well in Buckhead, Dickens dominated in southwest Atlanta and made up ground on the Eastside, beating Moore in precincts she won three weeks ago. She called for Buckhead residents to work with the new administration.
Throughout the condensed runoff period, Dickens pitched himself as a progressive leader with bold plans to move the city forward by utilizing technology and instituting new city departments.
A Mays High and Georgia Tech graduate, Dickens, 47, is also the chief development officer for TechBridge, a nonprofit that offers technology and workforce training to organizations.
