Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s gubernatorial election.
The Democrat defeated Republican Rick Jackson, ending more than two decades of Republican control of Georgia’s governor’s office.
Keisha Lance Bottoms has become the first Black woman elected governor of a US state after winning Georgia’s gubernatorial election. The Democrat defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson in the November 3, 2026 vote.
Bottoms, 56, will succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp, whose term limits prevented another consecutive run. She expects to take office in January 2027 as Georgia’s first female and first Black governor.
The result also returns Democrats to the governor’s office after more than two decades of Republican control. That Republican run began when Sonny Perdue defeated Democratic incumbent Roy Barnes in 2002.
Keisha Lance Bottoms puts affordability at centre of campaign
Although her candidacy carried historic significance, Bottoms focused largely on everyday concerns facing Georgia residents. Her campaign priorities included affordable healthcare, housing, economic opportunities and voting rights.
She also pledged to expand Medicaid coverage and raise Georgia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Improving salaries for public employees formed another part of her platform.
Before election day, Bottoms spoke about the lasting historical significance of the choices voters would make. Her victory now marks a milestone for Black women’s representation in American politics.
Meanwhile, Jackson, a billionaire in the healthcare industry, presented himself as an outsider to politics. His campaign emphasised economic development, tax cuts and public safety in the closely contested battleground state.
From Atlanta mayor to Georgia governor
Bottoms brings experience in local government and the White House to her new role. She served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022, leading the city through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her time as mayor also included protests following the murder of George Floyd. Before taking that office, she served on Atlanta’s City Council and worked as a Fulton County magistrate judge.
She later joined former President Joe Biden’s administration as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Bottoms also served as a senior adviser in that administration.
Her win follows two unsuccessful bids by fellow Democrat Stacey Abrams to become Georgia’s first Black female governor. Abrams lost to Kemp in both 2018 and 2022.
