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Dem Keisha Lance Bottoms wins historic Georgia governor’s race to flip Peach State
Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated businessman Rick Jackson to become Georgia’s governor, flipping the state from Republican control. The former Atlanta mayor and Biden White House official is the first Black woman elected governor of a US state, and her win ends nearly three decades of Republican rule in Georgia.
Bottoms won by a wider margin than expected, succeeding Republican Brian Kemp. Her victory was part of a broader Democratic sweep of governor’s races that also included Ohio and Texas; the article said several other contests remained uncalled late on election night.
In short
- Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia’s governorship for the Democrats.
- She is the first Black woman elected governor of a US state.
- The result ends nearly 30 years of Republican control in Georgia.
Explained simply
Georgia is a state in the south-eastern United States, where the governor leads the state government and works with its legislature. The governor can shape policies and budgets on areas such as education, transport and public safety.
Georgia has generally been governed by Republicans for nearly three decades, though its politics have become more competitive. Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat and former mayor of Atlanta, ran against Republican businessman Rick Jackson; the state’s previous governor was Republican Brian Kemp.
Bottoms’s election is significant because she is the first Black woman elected governor of any US state. Georgia is also an influential state in national elections, so a change in party control can affect both state policy and the balance of political power.