Democrat Makes History in Victory Over MAGA Billionaire
Voters have chosen their first Democratic governor since 1998.
Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty
Keisha Lance Bottoms made history on Tuesday as the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States.
The former Atlanta mayor won her Georgia race against Trump-backed Republican billionaire Rick Jackson.
The last time a Democrat was elected as governor of Georgia was in 1998.
NBC and CNN projected Bottoms’ victory.
It comes as Georgia has become an increasingly purple state in recent years, with both Republicans and Democrats winning statewide in a series of elections.
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Trump won Georgia in 2024 by just over two points after Biden won the state in 2020. But Georgia has also repeatedly elected Democratic senators in recent years.
Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms is the projected winner of the Georgia governor's race.
Megan Varner/Reuters
The Georgia governor’s race was considered one of the bigger battlegrounds for Democrats looking to flip governors’ mansions from red to blue as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was term-limited.
In an unexpected twist, Republicans rejected Trump and Kemp’s original choice for GOP nominee and instead chose Jackson during the primary after the businessman spent about $108 million on his primary bid against Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms appearing at a rally with former President Obama and Sen. Jon Ossoff ahead of the midterm elections in Morrow, Georgia, US October 28, 2026.
Edgar Su/REUTERS
Even though Jackson was not Trump’s first choice, he aligned himself with the president. Appearing with the president soon after he won the runoff, the Republican nominee pledged to be Trump’s “favorite governor.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson speaks during a rally at the Zipp Hinton Hangar on October 23, 2026 in Locust Grove, Georgia.
Abbey Cutrer/Getty Images
But even his deep pockets to self-fund his campaign and embrace of Trump in the final stretch were not enough to get him across the finish line in the general election as Republicans faced headwinds.
Lance Bottoms, a mother of four, served as mayor of Georgia’s largest city from 2018 to 2022 and then in the Biden administration, and she focused her campaign on lowering costs for Georgia families.
Her platform promoted affordable housing and health care policies, as Americans have seen costs soar in recent years and have also been hit by skyrocketing energy costs.
Former President Barack Obama headed down to Georgia to campaign with her and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who was up for reelection, in the final stretch.
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