Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms elected governor of Georgia

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected governor of Georgia on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman to hold that office in U.S. history. She defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson and flipped the top job in a key swing state.

Bottoms emphasized her plans for policy improvements rather than focusing on breaking barriers. "What we do in this moment will echo through history," she said ahead of Election Day, highlighting her commitment to addressing economic issues and countering federal policies under President Donald Trump’s administration.

At her victory party, Bottoms told supporters: “No matter who you voted for tonight, I will be a governor for all of Georgia.” She added that the power of people cannot be overcome by money. Jackson acknowledged defeat, saying: "Tonight, the voters spoke … and I respect their decision."

Bottoms’ victory marks significant progress in Georgia politics as it reelects Senator Jon Ossoff alongside Raphael Warnock, making them both the first Jewish and Black senators respectively.

She will succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was barred from seeking a third term. Bottoms called for expanding Medicaid to include hundreds of thousands more people and increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour. She also aims to raise pay for public employees, pause data center development, and repeal Georgia’s abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy.

Bottoms’ emphasis on policy reflects her family history as a descendant of enslaved Georgians who moved from rural areas to Atlanta. “I am at least a fifth-generation Georgian,” she said during the campaign, noting that her grandfather had to walk through back doors in downtown buildings before she entered them as mayor.