Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms makes US history as first Black woman to be elected state governor

Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Black woman to be elected state governor in the United States. The former Atlanta mayor defeated billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in an upset victory for Republicans. Lance Bottoms, a 56-year-old Atlanta native, campaigned alongside Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who also won re-election on Tuesday.

She had previously served as a magistrate judge in Fulton county and in the Atlanta city council before her election. Jackson had poured over $100 million of his personal fortune into his campaign, utilizing the media during the 2020 George Floyd protests and highlighting the death of eight-year-old Secoria Turner during a street takeover.

However, with the tides turning against Donald Trump and Republicans, voters chose Lance Bottoms. In the weeks leading up to the election, Bottoms had announced her decision not to run for re-election as Atlanta mayor. She later joined the Biden administration as a senior adviser and director of the White House office of public engagement until 2023.

Lance Bottoms entered the race for Georgia governor after the party's favored candidate, US Representative Lucy McBath, withdrew due to her spouse's health issues. She secured the Democratic primary without a runoff and went on to defeat six other candidates. Her campaign focused on issues of affordability, including expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and reversing restrictions on abortion access in the state.