Keisha Lance Bottoms Wins Georgia Governor Race, Becoming First Black Woman Elected Governor in US History

Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governor race on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, defeating Republican Rick Jackson and becoming the first Black woman elected governor in United States history. The Associated Press called the race for Bottoms, and NBC News and Decision Desk HQ also projected her victory. She is also Georgia's first Black governor and its first woman governor, and she flips the top job in a key swing state from Republican to Democratic hands.

The count at the call

The AP results feed marked the race Called for Bottoms with 1,841,394 votes to 1,488,977 for Jackson, with an estimated 75.21 percent of the vote counted and 1,212 of 2,582 precincts reporting. The Wall Street Journal, reporting the AP call, put Bottoms at 55.4 percent to 44.6 percent for Jackson with 75 percent of the vote counted. Savannah Morning News reported that she led 55.59 percent to 44.41 percent at 9:15 p.m., when the race was called, on figures from the Secretary of State's office. Fox News Decision Desk called the race at 9:23 p.m. ET.

A win against a self funded opponent

Bottoms, 56, is a former mayor of Atlanta. She later served as a senior adviser in the White House of President Joe Biden. AP reported that she won despite a large campaign spending deficit, as Jackson, a businessman, tapped more than 200 million dollars of his own fortune. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Jackson founded Jackson Healthcare and spent more than 100 million dollars of his personal wealth to secure the Republican nomination. FOX 5 also reported that her victory makes her the first Atlanta mayor elected to the state's highest executive office.

What the win changes in Georgia

Bottoms will succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was barred by law from seeking a third term and has served since 2019. USA Today reported that her win breaks the Republicans' 24 year hold on the governor's office, and the Wall Street Journal reported that she is the first Democrat elected governor in Georgia in almost three decades. She joins Senator Jon Ossoff as a Democratic winner at the top of Georgia's ballot on the night. The Daily Caller reported that, once the election is certified, Bottoms will be sworn into office on January 11.

One point of wording

Reports framed the national history in one exact way: Bottoms is the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history. FOX 5 Atlanta noted that who is first to take office could depend on Minnesota, because that state's inauguration comes before Georgia's, and on whether Lisa Demuth wins Minnesota's governor race. That note does not change the Georgia result. Bottoms won the election, the AP and other outlets called it on Tuesday night, and Georgia will have a new governor in January.