Wes Moore says Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams ‘ran so Keisha Lance Bottoms could fly’

The Maryland governor reflects on the Black women who paved the way for Bottoms’ historic victory and why her leadership represents more than a political milestone.

Many are still celebrating the historic election of Keisha Lance Bottoms as Georgia’s next governor.

On Jan. 11, 2027, Bottoms will be sworn in as Georgia’s first African-American governor and will become the first Black woman in U.S. history to serve as a head of state.

Among those cheering on the historic achievement is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore—a close friend of Bottoms.

“I’m so excited that my friend is going to become a governor,” Moore told theGrio. However, the country’s once-lone Black governor said he said his excitement isn’t just because Bottoms is a “dear friend.

“It’s also the fact that she’s a really good public servant, and I think she’s going to be an outstanding governor,” said Moore, who was resoundingly re-elected in last Tuesday’s midterm election. Moore said he is confident in Gov.-elect Bottoms’ ability to address many of the critical issues he and other governors are working to resolve, such as ending child poverty and income inequality.

“If we can do that as a society, you will solve every other issue,” said Moore. “But we need to have leaders who are going to prioritize that, and that’s who Keisha Lance Bottoms is.”

As Bottoms looks ahead to becoming the 84th governor of Georgia and the Peach State’s first Black governor in its 249-year history as a formal state, Moore acknowledged that the historic moment would not be possible without the Black women who came before her at the top of an electoral ticket in Georgia: former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran for president in 2024; and Stacey Abrams, who twice ran for governor in 2018 and 2022.

While Harris and Abrams were not successful in their respective campaigns, Moore told theGrio, “I think Stacey ran and Vice President Harris ran so that Keisha could fly,” adding, “I think Keisha understands that.”

Moore said he felt the same about his own historic election as Maryland’s first Black governor. He explained, “Doug Wilder [the first Black governor post-Reconstruction] and people like Deval Patrick [the first Black governor of Massachusetts] and people like [former Maryland gubernatorial candidates] Ben Jealous and Anthony Brown here in the state of Maryland, that they ran so I could fly.”

Reflecting on Bottoms’ historic election, which would not be possible without the civil rights history of the former Atlanta mayor’s hometown, Gov. Moore said, “I think there is an appreciation for all of the people who came before us that gave the opportunity for Keisha to be successful.”