Keisha Lance Bottoms Makes History as First Black Woman Elected Governor of a US State

Keisha Lance Bottoms has made history by becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a US state . The Democrat defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson in Georgia’s gubernatorial election . She won 54.3% of the vote against his 45.7%, with 93% of the expected vote counted, reported Associated Press. Bottoms, 56, will also become Georgia’s first woman governor. Her victory ends more than two decades of Republican control of the governor’s office and makes her the first Democrat to hold the position since 2003. She will succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who is barred from seeking another consecutive term because of term limits. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Bottoms is the daughter of R&B singer Major Lance and Sylvia Robinson. She attended Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta, graduated from Florida A&M University and earned a law degree from Georgia State University. Before entering electoral politics, she worked as an attorney and magistrate judge. She was also executive director of the Atlanta and Fulton County Recreation Authority. Bottoms entered politics in 2009, winning a seat on the Atlanta City Council representing District 11. She served until 2018, when she became the city’s 60th mayor after defeating Mary Norwood in a runoff election. Bottoms served as mayor from January 2018 to January 2022. Her tenure covered the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 protests against racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd. Her administration focused on affordable housing, economic opportunity, public safety and civil rights. She established Atlanta’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and pursued initiatives aimed at addressing inequality. According to her University of Chicago Institute of Politics, her administration maintained four consecutive balanced budgets. Atlanta’s reserves stood at nearly $181 million at the end of her term. After leaving the mayor’s office, Bottoms joined former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2022 as a senior adviser, leading the transformation of the White House Office of Public Engagement. She also held leadership roles in the Democratic National Committee. In the Georgia governor’s race, she campaigned on lowering living costs, expanding Medicaid and protecting voting rights. Jackson, a healthcare executive endorsed by President Donald Trump, spent more than $200 million of his personal fortune on his campaign, according to the Associated Press. Bottoms will take office in January 2027. However, with Republicans likely to retain control of Georgia’s state legislature, advancing her policy agenda could require negotiations across party lines.