Bottoms Wins Georgia Governor Race

Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated billionaire Republican Rick Jackson in the Georgia governor's race held Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a domed state capitol silhouette above a pine treeline in deep red and cream, evoking a historic statewide election result. — Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia's governor's race on Tuesday, defeating billionaire Republican Rick Jackson and becoming the state's first female, first Black, and first Black woman elected governor. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governor's race against Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire. Jon Ossoff also won his Senate race the same day.

Why it matters

Bottoms becomes the first female, first Black, and first Black woman elected governor of Georgia and in the United States, a historic milestone for the state. Her victory came despite being outspent by her opponent.

Bottoms prevailed despite being outspent by Jackson, though the exact spending figures and vote totals are not included in the extraction.

The players

Keisha Lance Bottoms

Former mayor of Atlanta and now Georgia's first female, first Black, and first Black woman governor, she previously served as a prominent Democratic official in the state.

Rick Jackson

A billionaire Republican who lost the Georgia governor's race to Bottoms despite outspending her.

Jon Ossoff

Democratic U.S. senator from Georgia who won his Senate race on the same day as the governor's contest.

The details

Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, campaigned largely on her own, connecting with voters on the issues. The race ran alongside Ossoff's Senate contest, which he also won on Tuesday.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Georgia governor and Senate races decided.
This summer (2026): Bottoms campaigned wearing box braids.

Political Context

Bottoms' win places Georgia alongside North Carolina, where Democrats won statewide races in 2024 except at the top of the ticket. Her election breaks new ground as the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States.

Georgians now have a new governor who will set state policy and budget priorities starting in January. Voters across the state will see the direct effects of the administration's decisions on state services and programs.

The takeaway

Bottoms' victory shows that a candidate can win statewide by connecting directly with voters on the issues, even when outspent. Her record-setting election expands who can hold the state's highest office.