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November 3, 2026
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s gubernatorial election, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history
Her victory marked a major reversal for Republicans, who have held the Governor’s Mansion since Sonny Perdue defeated Democrat Roy Barnes in 2002.
Standing on Shoulders Made of Steel
The 56-year-old Democrat defeated her Republican opponent, billionaire Rick Jackson, to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Brian Kemp in the crucial battleground state. She overcame a major spending disadvantage after Jackson poured more than $200 million of his own fortune into the race.
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With 97 percent of votes counted, Bottoms had secured 54.2 percent to Jackson’s 45.8 percent. Acknowledging the historic nature of her victory, Bottoms told supporters in her victory speech that she was standing on “shoulders made of steel.”
“Georgia, we sent a message loud and clear that we want a leader who will put Georgia first and who will stand up to all the chaos coming out of Washington, D.C.,” she said. “But even more importantly, you sent the message that in these times of division and acrimony, you believe in something foundational, and that is hope.”
Georgia has long been a swing state, and Republican billionaire businessman Rick Jackson was favored to win until recently. However, the tables seem to have turned when Bottoms campaigned with Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who also won re-election Tuesday, and former President Barack Obama days before the election.
Jackson poured more than $100 million of his personal fortune into the campaign. He flooded the media with chaotic scenes from the 2020 George Floyd protests and the death of Secoriea Turner, an eight-year-old girl murdered during a street takeover by rifle-bearing gunmen.
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Meet Georgia’s First Black Woman Governor
Bottoms, 56, is a native of Atlanta and the daughter of blues musician Major Lance. She worked as a lawyer and served as a magistrate judge in Fulton County before first being elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2009.
As the George Floyd protests wound down, Bottoms was considered a leading contender for vice president in a Biden administration. At that time, she was mayor of Atlanta, and she announced she would not seek another term that year. She later joined the Biden White House as a senior adviser and served as director of the Office of Public Engagement until 2023.
Bottoms entered the contest for Georgia governor soon after the party favorite, Representative Lucy McBath, decided not to run due to her husband’s health issues. She went on to beat six rivals in the Democratic primary without needing a runoff. She ran on making life more affordable and promised to sign a bill to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and to reverse limits on abortion access in the state.
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Bottoms was one of eight Black major-party nominees for governor on Tuesday’s ballot. Only three Black governors have been elected in U.S. history, and all were Democratic men. This year, two Black women were vying for governor: Bottoms and Minnesota Republican Lisa Demuth.
