Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history as America’s first Black woman elected governor

The former Atlanta mayor defeated Republican Rick Jackson in Georgia, breaking a barrier that has stood since the nation’s founding.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is the projected winner of the Georgia governor’s race. As reported by NBC News, Bottoms won by 55.8%, beating her conservative opponent Rick Jackson. Her win marks the first time a Black woman has ever been elected governor in United States history.

“[I’m] able to trace my family back at least five generations in this state to a plantation in Georgia and on my dad’s side,” Bottoms previously told theGrio. “Obviously, history will write itself when I am elected, but…as someone who is a descendant of the once enslaved in this country and to know just how far we have come as a people, it is just personally very fulfilling for me and an honor to have this opportunity to serve.”

Nadine Smith, President and CEO of Color Of Change noted  Bottoms’ victory “belongs to generations of Black women who registered our neighbors, organized our churches, mobilized our families, and refused to surrender our political power, even when the doors to power remained closed to us.” 

“For 250 years, Black women have helped build this democracy while being denied our rightful place in its leadership,” she continued in a statement shared with theGrio. “In Georgia, where poll taxes, white primaries, and racial terror were once used to keep us from the ballot box, we have now elected Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first Black woman governor in American history and the first woman to lead Georgia. We did not wait for history to change. We organized to change it.”

However, Bottoms is no stranger to making history in her work in public office. In 2018, Bottoms became the first Atlanta mayor to serve in all three branches of government. Before becoming the city’s mayor, the FAMU alum served as an Atlanta magistrate judge in 2002 and a Fulton County Superior Court Judge in 2008. And from 2010 to 2018, Bottoms represented Atlanta’s 11th district as their city councilwoman.  

In 2022, former President Biden appointed Bottoms as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement, where she oversaw the White House Office of Public Engagement, which worked at the local, state, and national levels to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices have the opportunity to inform the work of the President in an inclusive, transparent, and responsible way.

As Mayor, she dedicated herself to fulfilling her vision of “One Atlanta” – a city that is affordable, resilient, and equitable. And throughout her gubernatorial campaign, Bottoms has promised to deliver for working families and bring steady leadership to Georgia amid uncertainty and chaos coming from Washington, focusing on affordability, health care, education, and other pocketbook concerns, while campaigning across the state.

“Tonight, we celebrate a historic first. Tomorrow, the work of accountability continues. We fought too long and too hard for a seat at the table to settle for a government that still serves the wealthiest at everyone else’s expense. Our votes made this moment possible. Our organizing will help determine what comes next,” Smith concluded.