Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s gubernatorial race, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. She defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson, whose campaign was backed by tens of millions of dollars from his personal fortune.
The result makes Georgia the first state to elect a Democratic governor in more than two decades. Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor and adviser in the Biden administration, centered her campaign on the cost of living and quality-of-life issues.
Her proposals included allowing local governments to remove sales taxes on groceries and certain essential products, eliminating the state income tax for public school teachers, and scrapping state taxes on insurance premiums and gas. She also pledged to expand Medicaid and pause construction of new data centers in Georgia.
In her victory speech, Bottoms said the campaign had focused on communities across the state and described the win as one shared by Georgians. She said she was honored to become the state’s 84th governor.
Bottoms’ victory came during a successful midterm election night for Democrats. The party also recorded Senate wins in several battleground states, including Georgia, where Jon Ossoff was re-elected, and New Hampshire, where Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate, according to the source report.
Sources: Rolling Stone.