Keisha Lance Bottoms
Georgia governor-elect and former mayor of Atlanta; beat Rick Jackson in 2026.
Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia's open governorship on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Rick Jackson 54.3% to 45.7% on NBC News's count. She takes an office Republicans had held.
Last refreshed: 5 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Keisha Lance Bottoms close a one-point gap with Rick Jackson?
Timeline for Keisha Lance Bottoms
Took Georgia's governorship from the Republicans
US Midterms 2026: Democrats win the Senate and the HouseYouGov puts Ossoff 10 points clear
US Midterms 2026Background
Bottoms won Georgia's open governorship on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Rick Jackson 54.3% to 45.7% on NBC News's count with 99% of the expected vote in. The seat had been held by a Republican.
A Democrat, Bottoms was mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022. Her move to statewide office tested whether a former big-city mayor could build a winning Coalition across Georgia. A YouGov poll fielded from 15 to 18 September 2026 had her one point behind Jackson, 44% to 45%.
She won on the same ballot that re-elected Senator Jon Ossoff, as Democrats also took governorships in Nevada and Ohio.
Bottoms turned a deficit into victory
In mid-September the race looked level. A YouGov poll fielded from 15 to 18 September had Bottoms on 44%, one point behind Jackson, in the same survey that put Senator Jon Ossoff ten points clear. Georgia sends any statewide race below 50% to a runoff, so a close contest risked a second round.
She cleared that line comfortably. On 3 November she won 54.3% to 45.7%, a margin of about nine points, on the night Democrats won both houses of Congress. Her result moved with The National swing, and the runoff never came.
Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms?
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Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms running against for Georgia governor?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 5 November 2026. Editorial standards.