Keisha Lance Bottoms beats Rick Jackson for Georgia governor

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, beat billionaire Republican businessman Rick Jackson in a close race for Georgia governor, marking the first time in more than three decades that a Democrat has won the state’s highest office and making Bottoms the first black woman governor in American history.

Keisha Lance Bottoms beats Rick Jackson for Georgia governor

TL;DR

  • Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, has won the Georgia governor's race.
  • This is the first time in over three decades a Democrat has won the governorship in Georgia.
  • Bottoms is the first Black woman governor in American history.
  • Democrat Jon Ossoff also won reelection to the Senate.
  • Rick Jackson, a Republican businessman, self-funded his campaign with nearly $200 million.
  • Jackson defeated the Trump-endorsed candidate for the Republican nomination.
  • Both Bottoms and Jackson held campaign events with high-profile national figures (Barack Obama for Bottoms, Donald Trump for Jackson).
  • Recent presidential elections show Georgia as a close swing state.