Keisha Lance Bottoms Projected to Win Georgia Governor Race

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to win Georgia’s governor race, according to Fox News Decision Desk, defeating Republican Rick Jackson. The win would make her the state’s first female governor and the first Black woman elected governor in American history, and it returns the office to Democrats for the first time since Roy Barnes won in 1998.

What happened

The race was for an open seat: Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was term-limited. Bottoms, who was Atlanta mayor from 2018 to 2022 and later served as a senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Engagement in former President Joe Biden’s White House, came through the Democratic primary to face Jackson.

Jackson is a healthcare executive and first-time candidate who put more than $200 million of his own money into the campaign. He beat Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican primary runoff.

On policy, Bottoms campaigned on expanding Medicaid, raising the state minimum wage and increasing pay for public employees. Jackson called for phasing out Georgia’s income tax and presented himself as a political outsider with a businessman’s approach. He attacked Bottoms’ record as mayor; she attacked his self-funding and tried to tie him to Trump.

Fox News also projects that Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection.

Why it matters

Georgia had not elected a Democratic governor since Barnes in 1998; Republicans held the office from Sonny Perdue’s 2002 election through the Deal and Kemp administrations. Losing it is a setback for Republicans in one of the country’s most competitive swing states.

The state’s presidential record shows how narrow the margins are: Biden carried Georgia in 2020, the first Democrat to do so since Bill Clinton in 1992, and Trump won it back in 2024. A Democratic win in the governor’s race suggests the state remains genuinely up for grabs at the statewide level, though the result is a projection and not yet a certified count.

Key facts at a glance

What this means for you

• If you live in Georgia, the governor sets the state budget and can push priorities like Medicaid expansion and the minimum wage, but those promises require legislative action and are not automatic.
• State income tax changes, which Jackson proposed phasing out, would also need legislative approval; the election result alone does not change tax rules.
• Because this is a projection, official results and any recounts or certification steps come later. Treat the outcome as likely, not final.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms?

She was mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022 and later worked in Biden’s White House as a senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Engagement.

Who did she beat?

Republican Rick Jackson, a healthcare executive and first-time candidate who spent more than $200 million of his own money and defeated Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the primary runoff.

When did Georgia last have a Democratic governor?

Roy Barnes won the 1998 election and took office in 1999. Republicans held the office from 2002 onward.

What to watch next

Official vote certification and any recount requests will confirm the projection. The next governor’s ability to deliver on Medicaid expansion, minimum wage and public-employee pay will depend on the makeup of the state legislature, which the source does not address.