Keisha Lance Bottoms Makes History as First Black Woman Elected US Governor

Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia's governor race, becoming the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States, the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia, and the first Democrat to win the state's governor's mansion since 1998. The Associated Press called the race at about 9:04 p.m. ET on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, ending 24 years of Republican control of the Georgia governor's office.

Bottoms, 56, a former Atlanta mayor and former Biden White House senior adviser, defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson. With about 75% of votes counted, the Associated Press showed Bottoms at 55.3 to 55.4% against Jackson's 44.6 to 44.7%, and its results page later showed Bottoms on 1,893,289 votes to Jackson's 1,553,665.

Key Points

• Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, won Georgia's governor race on 3 November 2026, defeating Republican Rick Jackson.
• She is the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States, and the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia.
• It is the first Democratic win in a Georgia governor's race since 1998, ending 24 years of Republican rule.
• The Associated Press called the race at about 9:04 p.m. ET, with Bottoms on about 55% of the vote.
• Bottoms campaigned on affordability, Medicaid expansion, a $15 minimum wage, repealing Georgia's abortion restrictions and cutting taxes on essentials.

What Happened

Georgians voted on Tuesday in a race that had drawn national attention for months, and the result came comparatively early in the evening. The Associated Press called the contest for Bottoms at about 9:04 p.m. ET, when the count already showed a clear margin. The later tally of 1,893,289 votes to 1,553,665 confirmed a decisive win.

Jackson, 72, founder of Jackson Healthcare, had poured more than $100 million — by some accounts more than $200 million — of his own fortune into his campaign. During the Republican primary he had said he wanted to be President Donald Trump's "favourite governor". That spending was not enough against a candidate whose time as Atlanta mayor gave her a head start across the state's largest metropolitan area.

Its historic character set it apart from other Democratic wins that night. No Black woman had ever been elected governor of any American state before Tuesday night. Georgia, a state that had not elected a Democratic governor since Roy Barnes won in 1998 and left office in 2003, now returns to Democratic leadership in the governor's mansion for the first time in a generation.

Background: A Long Road Back for Georgia Democrats

Georgia's politics have been transformed over the past decade, but the governor's office had resisted that change. Republicans had held the mansion continuously since Sonny Perdue took office in 2003, and Democrats had come close without breaking through, most notably in the hard-fought governor's races of 2018 and 2022.

Bottoms herself is a familiar figure in Georgia politics. She served as mayor of Atlanta, one of the country's most prominent city halls, and later served as a senior adviser in the Biden White House, giving her both a local record and a national profile. Her campaign leaned on that record and on kitchen-table issues.

Jackson, by contrast, was a political newcomer whose fortune funded a campaign built around his business record and his closeness to the Trump movement. His spending made the race a test of whether money could overcome a well-known Democrat in one of America's most competitive battlegrounds.

Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Campaign She Ran

Affordability was the centre of Bottoms' campaign. She pledged full Medicaid expansion as a day-one priority, a step Georgia has long resisted and one that would extend health coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income residents. She also promised a $15 minimum wage, the repeal of Georgia's abortion restrictions, and the elimination of taxes on groceries, nappies, baby formula and other essentials.

Those pledges were aimed squarely at working families, and they gave her campaign a concrete programme to put beside the broader Democratic argument of the night about the cost of living. In a state where healthcare access and grocery prices are daily concerns, that combination proved a powerful offer.

Reactions and What the Result Means

Jackson conceded after the race was called, according to local reporting, bringing to an end one of the most expensive self-funded campaigns in Georgia history. His defeat leaves Republicans to reckon with a loss in a state they had held for nearly a quarter of a century.

For Democrats, the win is both symbolic and practical. Symbolically, it breaks a barrier that had stood since the founding of the republic: no Black woman had ever won a governor's election in any state. Practically, it gives the party control of the Georgia governor's mansion, with its veto pen, its appointment powers and its role in shaping the state's budget, healthcare policy and election administration.

Once a reliably Republican state, Georgia has now delivered Democrats the presidency in 2020, two Senate seats in 2021, and now the governor's office in 2026 — a shift that looks durable rather than a one-cycle event.

Why It Matters

Governors matter in ways that reach far beyond their states. A Georgia governor signs or vetoes the state budget, shapes Medicaid policy for millions of people, appoints judges and agency heads, and sets the tone for how elections are run. Her pledges on Medicaid expansion and taxes could change daily life for low-income Georgians if she can carry them through the legislature.

The historic first matters too. Representation at the highest level of state government has lagged far behind the diversity of the American population, and Bottoms' election breaks a ceiling that had never been broken. For Black women, one of the Democratic Party's most loyal voting groups, it is a landmark moment.

What Happens Next

Bottoms will be sworn in on 11 January, succeeding Brian Kemp. Her first test will be turning campaign pledges into law, beginning with Medicaid expansion, which she has called a day-one priority. That will require working with a legislature where Republicans have long held sway.

Nationally, the win will fuel discussion about the party's direction and Georgia's place as a battleground heading into the next presidential cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the Georgia governor's race in 2026?
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson; the AP called it at about 9:04 p.m. ET on 3 November 2026.

Why is Keisha Lance Bottoms' win historic?
She is the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States, and the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia.

When was the last Democratic governor of Georgia?
Roy Barnes, who won in 1998 and left office in 2003. Bottoms' win ends 24 years of Republican control of the governor's mansion.

What did Bottoms campaign on?
Affordability, including full Medicaid expansion as a day-one priority, a $15 minimum wage, repealing Georgia's abortion restrictions, and eliminating taxes on groceries, nappies, baby formula and other essentials.

When will Bottoms take office?
She will be sworn in on 11 January, succeeding term-limited Republican Governor Brian Kemp.

Related coverage: Georgia's record early voting ahead of Election Day and Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections.