Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes US's first black woman governor with Georgia win

Eliza Ronalds-Hannon and Hope Campbell, Bloomberg News on Nov 3, 2026

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Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to win the Georgia governor’s race, becoming the first Black woman to lead a U.S. state and wresting control of the governor’s mansion from Republicans after more than two decades.

Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, led Republican billionaire Rick Jackson by 55.3% to 44.7% with 75.3% of the votes counted, according to preliminary results from Associated Press. She will succeed Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection.

The victory vaults Bottoms onto the national political stage and marks another Democratic breakthrough in Georgia, a state that has become a key political battleground in U.S. politics. While Georgia has two Democratic senators, the party hadn’t held in the governor’s mansion since 2003. In her campaign, Bottoms focused on affordability, education and healthcare, including expanding Medicaid.

Jackson’s defeat is a blow for President Donald Trump, who spent time in Georgia campaigning for him. Jackson, a healthcare entrepreneur, plowed around $200 million of his personal fortune into the race.

Bottoms served on the Atlanta City Council before becoming mayor. She later joined former President Joe Biden’s administration, overseeing the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Trump held October rallies in Georgia, in part to support Jackson, and the candidate first introduced himself to voters as someone who would be “Trump’s favorite governor.”

But later in the campaign, Jackson sought to distance himself from the president. Jackson emphasized his independence in an October debate, saying, “I don’t owe anybody anything. Nobody’s ever told me what to do.”

Bottoms’ election as governor will potentially alter the political consideration around fellow Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat whose rising national profile has fueled speculation about a future presidential campaign. The state’s other senator, Democrat Raphael Warnock, has also drawn attention as a potential White House contender.

Ossoff, who won reelection on Tueday, has said he has “zero interest” in running for the White House. But having a Democrat in the governor’s mansion could make such a bid less politically risky if he changes his mind. Under Georgia law, the governor can appoint a temporary replacement if a Senate seat becomes vacant, pending a special election.

That would allow Bottoms to appoint a Democrat to Ossoff’s or Warnock’s seat, avoiding an immediate shift in the Senate’s balance of power. The seat would eventually return to voters in a special election, but Democrats would no longer face the prospect of a Republican governor choosing his temporary successor.

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(With assistance from Brett Pulley.)