Keisha Lance Bottoms Wins Georgia Governor's Race, First Black Woman Elected Governor in U.S.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, was elected governor of Georgia on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state, according to projections from CBS News, NBC News and Decision Desk HQ. She defeated Republican billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, and NBC figures showed her ahead roughly 54 to 46 percent with about 85 percent of the expected vote counted. The race was called about two hours after polls closed at 7 p.m. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was term-limited, and Republicans have held the governor's office for more than two decades. President Donald Trump endorsed Jackson in July and campaigned with him near Atlanta, while former President Barack Obama rallied for Bottoms in late October. Sen. Jon Ossoff also won re-election over Rep. Mike Collins. Democrats also won governorships in Texas, where Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott, and in Ohio and Iowa.

Right-leaning outlets Breitbart and The Blaze lead with Georgia ending a long Republican run, calling the result a stunning upset and citing NBC vote tallies. Breitbart adds that Bottoms trailed narrowly in most polls, calls the win a bellwether, and recalls that she left the mayoralty after a crime spike, with Kemp's and Trump's primary endorsements noted. The Blaze says Jackson's moderate approach did not help him. The two give different dates for the last Democratic governor (1998 versus January 2003). Left-leaning The Guardian US and CBS News center on the historic first and the Democratic wins. The Guardian covers Texas, Ohio and Iowa and the Ohio race's controversial ad, and does not mention Bottoms' mayoral record in the excerpt. CBS keeps to the projection. Both sides agree on the result and the opponent. Alternative outlets Al Jazeera and The Hindu largely match this, though The Hindu adds the setback for Trump.