Keisha Lance Bottoms Elected Georgia Governor, First Black Woman to Win a Governor’s Race
The former Atlanta mayor defeated Republican Rick Jackson, flipping the battleground state's top office for the first time in 24 years.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for Georgia governor on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman ever elected governor of a US state, according to the Associated Press, NPR and CBS News.
The result
Bottoms, a Democrat, defeated Republican Rick Jackson by about 54 percent to 46 percent, according to results posted by the Georgia secretary of state’s office. That amounted to roughly 2.27 million votes for Bottoms and about 1.91 million for Jackson.
The win flips control of the governor’s office in the battleground state for the first time in 24 years, NBC News reported. The seat was open because Republican Gov. Brian Kemp could not run again due to term limits.
Who she is
Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022. She later worked in the Biden White House as a senior adviser. She was considered a leading candidate for her party’s nomination from early in the cycle.
Jackson, a businessman, ran as a Republican outsider and spent heavily on the race.
Why it is historic
No Black woman had previously been elected governor in any state. Stacey Abrams, also a Georgia Democrat, came close in 2018 but lost to Kemp.
Part of a national shift
Georgia was one of several states where Democrats flipped governorships on Tuesday. Others included Ohio, Texas and Nevada, according to NBC News. The gains gave Democrats a majority of the nation’s governorships for the first time in 16 years.
The shift also matters for the 2028 presidential election. Governors oversee state election administration through their appointees and can sign or veto changes to voting laws.
What comes next
Bottoms will take office in January. Republicans continue to control the Georgia General Assembly, which means she will need to work with GOP lawmakers on the state budget and major legislation.
Her campaign focused on the cost of living, health care and public safety. How she handles a divided state government will shape whether Democrats can hold the office in future elections.
Jackson’s campaign had not publicly disputed the outcome as of Wednesday morning, and county officials were continuing routine counting and certification work.
Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, NBC News.
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