Keisha Lance Bottoms Wins Georgia Governorship

Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governor’s race on Nov. 3, defeating Republican candidate Rick Jackson.

Major news outlets projected her victory, making her the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States. Before this election, only three Black individuals had served as U.S. governors, all of whom were Democratic men. The Associated Press reported that eight Black major party nominees ran for governor this year. Only two of those candidates were Black women: Bottoms and Minnesota Republican Lisa Demuth.

Georgia voters have supported Black women on the top of the Democratic ticket for three consecutive cycles. Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor in 2018 and again in 2022, was the first Black woman nominated for the office by a major U.S. party. Bottoms previously served as Atlanta’s mayor, becoming the second Black woman to hold that seat after Shirley Franklin. During this year’s primaries, Black women led the field in nearly every race for a constitutional statewide office, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Celebrities across the country promoted voter turnout in the days leading up to the election. In Fulton County, Janelle Monáe posed for an “I Voted” photo in a black coat and cream newsboy cap. She wrote that she voted early because she chose long ago to show up for her community. Kerry Washington shared a video of herself and her husband, Nnamdi Asomugha, dropping off their mail-in ballot. Other public figures who shared their voting status included Sheryl Lee Ralph, Danielle Brooks, Kandi Burruss, and Jayda Cheaves.

Younger celebrities focused on college campuses to mobilize students. Marsai Martin and Trinity Tatum marched to the polls with students at North Carolina A&T. Rapper JT visited Florida A&M University in Tallahassee to encourage voting. FAMU is also Bottoms’ alma mater. Jenifer Lewis joined Tasha Smith and Gail Bean in singing about the importance of voting.

Other states also recorded historic wins for Black women on the same night. In Illinois, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won her U.S. Senate race. Her victory means three Black women will serve in the Senate simultaneously for the first time. In Colorado, Melat Kiros is projected to become the first Black Ethiopian woman sent to Congress.

Bottoms is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2027.