Photo: Megan Varner / Getty Images News / Getty Images
A Black woman could soon sit in Georgia's governor's mansion — and her name is Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The former Atlanta mayor secured the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday night (May 19), stunning the field by clearing the runoff threshold her rivals had hoped she wouldn't reach.
If she wins in November, Bottoms would make history as the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States — and the first Black governor Georgia has ever seen. Bottoms cleared more than 50% of the vote, the threshold needed to advance directly to the November general election, according to NBC News.
She emerged from a crowded Democratic primary field that included former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served as a Republican before switching parties.
Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, then led the White House's public engagement efforts under President Joe Biden, who has backed her campaign in a rare post-presidential endorsement. Her platform centers on expanding Medicaid, protecting reproductive rights, and strengthening voting access.
The challenge ahead is real. Georgia voters haven't elected a Democratic governor since 1998. In 2018, Stacey Abrams came within less than two points of defeating Brian Kemp, who then beat her again in 2022 by more than seven points.
On the Republican side, Bottoms will face the winner of a June 16 runoff between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire healthcare CEO Rick Jackson.
While Republicans remain locked in their own costly primary battle, Democrats appear united heading into November.
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