Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s 2026 governor’s race, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson and becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state, according to a race projection by the Associated Press.
The former Atlanta mayor’s victory on November 3 also makes her Georgia’s first woman elected governor and ends nearly 24 years of Republican control of the office. Bottoms will succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
The Associated Press called the race at 9:24 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, according to its election reporting. Jackson subsequently conceded, acknowledging the voters’ decision.
The result is a significant political shift in Georgia, a state that has become increasingly competitive in national elections but has not elected a Democratic governor since Roy Barnes won reelection in 1998.
The National Governors Association’s records show that Barnes served from 1999 to 2003, before Republican Sonny Perdue took office in January 2003. Republicans subsequently retained the governorship under Nathan Deal and Kemp.
Bottoms’ victory breaks that uninterrupted succession. It is the first Democratic win in a Georgia gubernatorial election in 28 years and is expected to return the governor’s office to Democratic control for the first time since January 2003.
Bottoms, 56, previously served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 until early 2022. She later held senior positions in former President Joe Biden’s administration, including director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Her campaign focused heavily on the cost of living, healthcare, education and government accountability. In an April 13 campaign announcement, Bottoms proposed expanding Medicaid, reducing prescription drug costs and strengthening healthcare access in rural communities.
Her published campaign policy agenda also proposed eliminating state income taxes for teachers, expanding early education and increasing support for affordable housing. She called for reassessing rapid data center expansion because of concerns about electricity costs, water demand and effects on local communities.
These remain policy proposals rather than enacted changes. Medicaid expansion, state tax legislation and major spending commitments would require action beyond the governor’s election victory, including cooperation with Georgia’s legislature.
Under the Georgia General Assembly’s legislative process, bills generally must pass both legislative chambers before reaching the governor. The governor may sign or veto legislation, but cannot independently rewrite state law through campaign commitments.
That distinction could become central to Bottoms’ administration. Republicans entered the election controlling both legislative chambers, and the extent of their control after the midterms will shape negotiations over her policy agenda.
Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive endorsed by President Donald Trump, campaigned on tax reductions, deregulation and public safety. His candidacy also drew national attention because of the scale of his personal campaign spending.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution examination of campaign-finance disclosures reported that Jackson had spent approximately $220 million by late October, including substantial television advertising expenditure. That figure reflects the publication’s analysis of filings, not an independently reproduced Investozora calculation.
Despite the spending advantage, Bottoms secured the projected victory. The result establishes that Jackson’s financial resources did not translate into an electoral win, but does not establish which individual policy positions or demographic groups determined the outcome.
Bottoms’ victory comes as Georgia continues its evolution into a closely contested political state. Democrats have won recent statewide U.S. Senate elections, while Republicans maintained control of the governor’s office until this election.
The outcome also changes the balance of power within Georgia’s executive branch, particularly over the state budget, administrative appointments and the governor’s role in shaping legislation. It does not, by itself, transfer control of the General Assembly or alter federal policy.
For voters and businesses, the most consequential questions now concern whether the incoming administration can negotiate changes to healthcare funding, taxes, education spending and development policy.
Georgia’s Secretary of State remains the authoritative source for official election returns and certification. AP’s projection is a news organization’s determination of the winner, not a formal state certification.
The next stage is the completion of Georgia’s official election procedures, followed by the transition to the new administration. Bottoms’ ability to deliver her campaign commitments will depend substantially on the legislature’s composition and the decisions made after she takes office.
