Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history as Georgia’s first Black woman governor

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkDemocratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at a rally ahead of the midterm elections in Morrow, Georgia, US, October 28, 2026 [Edgar Su/Reuters]By Evan SemonesPublished On 4 Nov 20264 Nov 2026Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has made history as the first Black woman elected governor in the United States.The former Atlanta mayor emerged victorious over her billionaire opponent, Republican Rick Jackson, who spent more than $200m of his personal fortune in an attempt to succeed popular outgoing Republican Governor Brian Kemp.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Georgia Senate candidates make final appeals ahead of US midtermslist 2 of 3How US midterms have cost a record $12bn as cost of living soarslist 3 of 3Jon Ossoff wins Georgia Senate race, defeating Republican Mike Collinsend of listBottoms, an adviser to former US President Joe Biden, was propelled to victory in part by the state’s significant Black voting bloc, which turned out in large numbers during early voting.During the campaign, she faced Republican attempts to characterise her time as mayor as a crime-ridden decline for the state’s largest city.“It’s a longstanding playbook to paint Atlanta as this big bad place,” Bottoms told the Associated Press news agency.Bottoms’s win marks the third consecutive time that Georgia Democrats have nominated a Black woman for governor. Stacey Abrams lost in 2018 and 2022 to Kemp, who is leaving office in January after eight years due to term limits.