Keisha Lance Bottoms Wins Georgia Governor's Race
Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia's governor's race on November 3, 2026, defeating Republican Rick Jackson. She will become the state's governor-elect, meaning she has won the election but has not yet taken office. NBC News reported the result.
As of November 4, with 99% of estimated turnout counted, Bottoms led Jackson by 8.7 percentage points, according to the Associated Press.
The race was to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who is leaving the office. Bottoms is a former mayor of Atlanta, serving from 2018 to 2022. She did not seek a second term as mayor.
NPR reported that Bottoms will be the first Black woman to serve as governor in the United States. Nationwide, Democrats will hold a majority of governorships after the 2026 elections, according to NPR.
Bottoms campaigned in Decatur with Sen. Raphael Warnock on the first day of early voting. Her campaign says she ran for governor to deliver for working families.
On November 5, NPR's Ailsa Chang spoke with Bottoms on the network's All Things Considered program about how she hopes to carry out her campaign agenda. The interview is titled "What Keisha Lance Bottoms plans to do first in Georgia."
Bottoms will take office after the election is certified and she is sworn in.
