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Keisha Lance Bottoms Becomes First Black Woman Elected Governor in U.S. History
The Democrat defeated Republican Rick Jackson, who spent more than $100 million of his own money, to flip Georgia's governorship for the first time in 24 years.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson for governor of Georgia, taking 54.3% of the vote to flip a seat Republicans had held since 1998, according to NBC News and Exa's results page. NBC News reports the win makes her the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia, and the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.
A costly race
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson for governor of Georgia with 54.3% of the vote, according to Exa's results page. She took 2,271,388 votes to Jackson's tally, a margin of 362,551. The race was called at 9:24 p.m. ET Tuesday, the results page shows.
Jackson is a wealthy health care executive who poured more than $100 million of his own money into the race, NBC News reports. Bottoms ran on affordability and hit Jackson over his past support for data centers. She also tied him to President Trump. In their debate, she said Jackson "said he wants to be Trump's favorite governor."
She also leaned on Sen. Jon Ossoff, who held rallies with her called "United for Georgia," per NBC News. NBC projects she flipped the office for the first time in 24 years. Georgia hadn't elected a Democratic governor since 1998. She succeeds term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
Who she is
NBC News reports Bottoms is the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia, and the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.
Her public biography on Wikipedia traces an Atlanta life. Born Jan. 18, 1970, she graduated from Frederick Douglass High School. Her father was R&B singer Major Lance, known for 1960s hits including "The Monkey Time."
She studied broadcast journalism at Florida A&M before earning a law degree from Georgia State in 1994. She worked as a prosecutor and represented children in juvenile court. In 2002 she became an Atlanta magistrate judge. She served on the Atlanta City Council from 2010 to 2018, then as Atlanta's 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022. In 2022 she became senior adviser and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement under President Biden.
The hard years
Her mayoralty was shaped by the Covid pandemic and the unrest that came with it, NBC News reported, and she didn't run for re-election. Republicans attacked that record all cycle. Voters weren't moved.
