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Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of a US state on Tuesday, defeating Republican Rick Jackson in Georgia’s gubernatorial election, Anadolu Agency reported, citing The Associated Press.
Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor and adviser to former President Joe Biden, is also the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia.
Her victory marks a breakthrough for Democrats, who had not won a gubernatorial election in the southern state since 1998.
Bottoms defeated Jackson, a billionaire health care executive, in a closely contested race to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Brian Kemp.
The result comes two years after President Donald Trump carried Georgia in the 2024 presidential election.
Bottoms served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022. Her campaign focused on expanding Medicaid, addressing housing affordability and opposing several Trump administration policies.
