Keisha Lance Bottoms elected Georgia governor, first Black woman governor in US
The gist
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in US history.
No Black woman had won a US governorship before.
How it unfolded
- Nov 4, 2025Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, who would have been the first Black woman of any party elected governor, lost the Virginia governor's race to Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the first woman ever elected to lead the commonwealth.
- Oct 28, 2026Pew Research Center reported that Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms would be Georgia's first Black governor and the first Black woman governor nationwide if elected.
- Oct 30, 2026Time reported Bottoms, the Democratic nominee, faced Republican billionaire Rick Jackson to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, with polls mixed and most forecasters rating the race a toss-up.