Bottoms Secures Georgia Governorship in Historic First

Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. Several major news outlets called her victory in Georgia on Nov. 3. The former Atlanta mayor defeated Republican Rick Jackson to take the state’s top executive position.

The win follows a long run of high-profile candidates. In 2018, Stacey Abrams became the first Black woman nominated for governor by a major U.S. party. Abrams ran again in 2022. With Bottoms, Georgia has now had a Black woman at the top of the Democratic ticket in three straight governor’s races. The Associated Press reported that eight Black major party nominees ran for governor this year. Only two were Black women: Bottoms and Minnesota Republican Lisa Demuth. Before this election, the U.S. had elected just three Black governors, all of whom were Democratic men.

Bottoms has held high office in the state before. She became Atlanta’s second Black woman mayor, following Shirley Franklin. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that Black women led the field in nearly every race for a constitutional statewide office during the primaries this year. The Associated Press and local reporting confirm the historical nature of the result. The former mayor’s campaign emphasized her record as a city leader and her work to expand access to voting.

Celebrity endorsements played a visible role in the final days of the campaign. Jenifer Lewis sang about the importance of voting with Black women including Tasha Smith and Gail Bean. Kerry Washington shared a video of herself dropping off her mail-in ballot with her husband, Nnamdi Asomugha. She captioned the post “Voting team goals.” Janelle Monáe posted a photo from an “I Voted” station in Fulton County. She wrote, “Early voted. Early in life I made a choice to never stand by and watch the people I love get bullied. My bill of responsibility is show up for my community.”

Other public figures shared their participation in the election. Kandi Burruss displayed her “I voted” stickers. Sheryl Lee Ralph confirmed she voted early. Danielle Brooks posted from her car. Jayda Cheaves shared a photo from a Bottoms campaign event. Younger celebrities also encouraged voter turnout. Trinity Tatum and Marsai Martin marched to the polls with students at North Carolina A&T. Rapper JT visited the campus of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee to get students out to vote. Florida A&M is also Bottoms’ alma mater.

The election night brought other firsts for Black women in American politics. In Illinois, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won her U.S. Senate race. Her win means three Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time for the first time in history. In Colorado, Melat Kiros is projected to become the first Black Ethiopian woman the state has ever sent to Congress. These results were reported as votes continued to be counted across the United States.

Bottoms will be sworn in as governor in 2027. Her inauguration will mark a new chapter in Georgia’s political history. The state has seen a steady increase in Black women holding high office in recent years. This election cycle saw them lead the field in multiple statewide races. The outcome of the governor’s race stands as a concrete shift in the state’s leadership.