Keisha Lance Bottoms Secures Victory in Georgia Governor’s Race

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has secured a historic victory against Republican candidate Rick Jackson to become Georgia’s next governor.

According to Decision Desk HQ, Bottoms came out on top with 55.3% of the vote compared to Jackson’s 44.6%, as of 9:28 EST. With 78% of the votes counted, Bottoms had garnered 1,841,860 votes to 1,491,600 for Jackson.

Bottoms’ victory makes her the first Democrat governor to lead the state since 2003, when former Gov. Roy Barnes left office after losing his reelection bid to Republican Sonny Perdue. Also, the win makes Bottoms the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States.

“Good evening, Georgia. … Georgia, this win is for all of us,” she said in her victory speech late in the evening on Tuesday.

She spoke of a phone call she had with Jackson, saying, “I thanked him for a hard-fought race. And we agreed that together we would continue to support foster children across this state.”  

She also conveyed a sense of unity, saying, “And no matter who you voted for tonight, I will be a governor for all of Georgia.” 

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In his concession speech, Jackson said, “This was a hard-fought election. Keisha Lance Bottoms deserves our congratulations and our prayers as she prepares to take office.” 

Bottoms’ victory extends her time in the public eye. She previously served as mayor of Atlanta through a turbulent time in Georgia’s history, including the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2018 to 2022.

A member of the Democratic Party, Bottoms served as senior adviser to former President Joe Biden. Throughout her campaign, she emphasized expanding Medicaid, lowering housing costs, and putting a “pause on new construction of data centers.”

Medicaid expansion and affordability were both major components of her campaign, with Bottoms snubbing Gov. Brian Kemp’s Pathways program, an alternative to Medicaid expansion.

Bottoms repeatedly took jabs at Jackson by reminding Georgians of his pledge to be President Donald Trump’s “favorite governor” and claiming that he profited “from the current system through his health care companies.”

During her campaign, Bottoms also pledged to allow women to choose abortion and to guarantee universal pre-K.

The Georgia Senate Democrats took quickly to Bottoms’ projected victory, posting on X, “Georgia suffered too long under 25 years of Republican rule.” 

“Republicans made our state more inequitable, more expensive, and made the American dream harder for Georgians to attain. Tonight, Keisha Lance Bottoms ended Republicans’ stranglehold on Georgia and took the massive first step of making our state better by winning the Governor’s Mansion, this victory is historic not only for Democrats,” the Georgia Senate Democrats added.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce also commented on Bottoms’ victory, saying, “Georgia’s business community stands ready to work with her administration, Lieutenant Governor-elect Josh McLaurin, the Speaker of the House, and the General Assembly to keep Georgia growing, competitive, and affordable.”

While frequently referring to himself as an “outsider” on the campaign trail, Jackson made several campaign pledges that set him apart. A former foster child whose mother struggled with alcoholism, Jackson focused on the work he has done for foster children across the nation.

He frequently campaigned with Kemp and structured his campaign to continue the governor’s legacy and build on it. In one of his biggest campaign promises, he said he would cut the state’s income tax in half during his first term as governor, and if he didn’t, he promised not to run again.