Former Atlanta mayor makes history as Georgia’s first Black woman governor after defeating Republican Rick Jackson
By Midtown Times Staff
ATLANTA (Midtown Times) — Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s governor’s race, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson and ending nearly three decades without a Democratic governor in the state, according to projections from NBC News and The Associated Press.
Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor and Biden administration official, will become Georgia’s first woman governor and the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. She is set to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who could not seek another term because of term limits.
Her victory marks a major shift in a state where Republicans have maintained control of the governor’s office since 2003. Georgia has become a closely contested battleground in federal elections, but Democratic candidates have struggled to win statewide executive offices.
Bottoms’ campaign focused on affordability and economic concerns. She also criticized Jackson’s support for expanding data centers and highlighted his close ties to President Donald Trump. Jackson, a healthcare executive and first-time candidate, spent more than $100 million of his own money on the race, according to reports.
The campaign also revisited questions about the 2020 presidential election. Jackson declined during the Republican primary to say who had won, but later acknowledged that Joe Biden prevailed in Georgia.
Bottoms, who served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022, faced Republican criticism of her record during the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd. She chose not to seek re-election as mayor.
Her victory gives Georgia Democrats a historic breakthrough as they seek to expand their influence in a state that has remained Republican-led at the state level, even as federal contests there have grown increasingly competitive.
