Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the gubernatorial election in Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to lead a US state. She defeated Republican Rick Jackson, and the result shifted the political balance in one of the key states in the United States.
The former mayor of Atlanta's victory is also the first Democratic success in a gubernatorial election in Georgia since 1998. Bottoms will succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who was unable to run for a third term because of the term limit in the state's constitution.
“Let us choose hope over fear, progress over division, and come together to build a better Georgia for everyone,” Bottoms said before Election Day.
Historic Victory in a Key State
According to The Associated Press, Bottoms is the first Black woman elected governor in US history. Until now, the three elected Black governors have all been men from the Democratic Party.
Bottoms is the fifth generation of a family with ties to Georgia. During the campaign, she said that her grandfather had moved to Atlanta from rural parts of the state and had been forced to enter buildings through the back doors—buildings that she later entered as mayor through the front entrance during a parade.
“What we are doing at this moment will echo through history,” Bottoms said.
Campaign with a Major Financial Gap
Her rival, Rick Jackson, is a businessman in the healthcare sector and a billionaire. He invested more than $200 million of his personal fortune in the campaign, but despite his financial advantage, he failed to win the governor's office.
After the result was announced, Jackson conceded defeat to his supporters. “Tonight, the voters have spoken, and I respect their decision,” he said.
Jackson attacked Bottoms over her record as mayor of Atlanta, including her decision not to seek a second term. His campaign also used footage from protests in the city in 2020.
What the New Governor Promised
Bottoms campaigned on promises to expand the Medicaid program, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and increase the pay of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees.
She is also calling for the repeal of the ban on abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, a temporary halt to new data centers, and an end to the installation of additional automated cameras used by law enforcement agencies.
Bottoms said she would oppose policies of President Donald Trump that, in her view, harm Georgia residents. “I am not running to be the president's favorite governor. I am running to work in the interest of people like you,” she said during the only debate between the two candidates.
Sources: apnews.com, ajc.com