Bottoms Wins Georgia, Becomes First Black Woman Governor
Will Bottoms deliver the leadership Georgia needs or will she be a disaster for the state?
Above: Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms at an election night watch party in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 3. Image credit: Megan Varner/Getty Images
The Facts
- Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia's gubernatorial race on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state, according to unofficial results published by the Georgia Secretary of State.
- Bottoms led Republican Rick Jackson 55.4% to 44.6% with about 75% of ballots counted when the race was called roughly two hours after polls closed at 7 p.m. local time. With 99% of votes counted by Wednesday afternoon, Bottoms had 2,268,462 votes, or 54.3%, to Jackson's 1,908,261 (45.7%).
- Her victory also makes Bottoms Georgia's first Democratic governor since former Gov. Roy Barnes, who defeated Republican Guy Milner by 941,076 votes to 790,201 in the 1998 gubernatorial election, but lost his reelection bid in 2002.
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The Spin
Democratic narrative
With this win, Georgia finally gets a governor focused on what is actually important: cheaper groceries, lower utility bills, affordable health care and classrooms that get real funding. As governor, Bottoms will provide much-needed leadership to address the affordability crisis, stimulate the state economy and support local small businesses.
Republican narrative
This outcome is a disaster for Georgia. Bottoms' abysmal tenure mismanaging Atlanta should have been a red flag of what is to come. By giving her power, Georgia is inviting the same leadership style that left a major city struggling. It will not be long before buyer's remorse arrives, and it will be Georgia families paying the price when it does.
