Bottoms flipped Georgia’s open governor’s seat for the Democrats — and became the first Black woman elected governor in American history.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, 56, is an Atlanta lawyer who rose through city politics: eight years on the Atlanta City Council, then mayor from 2018 to 2022. She led the city through the pandemic and the protests of 2020, and chose not to seek a second term. Afterward she served as a senior adviser in the Biden White House.
Her win breaks two barriers at once. Georgia has never elected a woman or a Black person as governor, and no Black woman has ever been elected governor of any state. She did it in a state decided by razor-thin margins in recent elections.
Watch how she works with a Republican-led legislature — and whether her win reshapes Georgia’s place at the top of the Democratic map heading into 2028.
Fast facts
- Age: 56
- Party: Democratic
- Office: Governor of Georgia
- State: Georgia
- Previous job: Mayor of Atlanta (2018–2022); senior adviser in the Biden White House
- Called by AP: about 9:24 p.m. ET, Nov. 3
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
