Keisha Lance Bottoms Wins Georgia Governor's Race
Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history after defeating Republican Rick Jackson in Georgia.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson to become the governor of Georgia, marking the first time the state has elected a Democratic governor in over 20 years. Bottoms makes history as the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. The victory flips control of the governor's office for Democrats, though Bottoms is expected to face a Republican-majority legislature.
The race was one of the closest in state history, with final polling showing the candidates separated by only 0.03%. Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta and senior adviser in the Joe Biden administration, overcame a significant spending disadvantage against Jackson, a healthcare billionaire who spent over $100 million of his own money. While Jackson focused on phasing out the state income tax, Bottoms campaigned on expanding Medicaid and raising the minimum wage to $15.
Jackson entered the race with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, but Bottoms successfully tied him to Trump's low approval ratings in Georgia. Following the result, the Georgia Republican Party acknowledged that the outcome was not what their candidates worked to achieve. In a separate regional shift, Democrat Annie Andrews won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina, defeating appointed incumbent Darline Graham in the first statewide Democratic victory in that state since 1998.
