Bottoms wins Georgia governor race, defeats Jackson in historic Democratic sweep

Keisha Lance Bottoms captured 54 percent of the vote Tuesday night, defeating Republican Rick Jackson by eight percentage points in a Georgia governor’s race where Jackson spent more than $200 million of his own money, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. The margin handed Democrats the governor’s office for the first time since Roy Barnes was elected in 1998 and made Bottoms the state’s first female governor, the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, and the first Democrat to win the office in nearly three decades.

Georgia voters delivered major Democratic victories in the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm elections, flipping the governor’s mansion, keeping the U.S. Senate seat in Democratic hands and flipping three other statewide offices that Republicans had held. The results end a nearly 25-year stretch of Republican control of the governor’s office that began when Sonny Perdue defeated Barnes in 2002.

Eight Points Over $200 Million

Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, will become Georgia’s 84th governor when she takes office in January, succeeding Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Despite polling that had suggested a dead heat heading into Election Day, she won 54 percent to Jackson’s 46 percent.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms win Georgia governor's race

“Thank you Georgia. I am honored to be your 84th governor,” Bottoms told supporters during her victory celebration. “Tonight should remind us all that no matter what community we come from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person. It’s been defined by all of us. And I will be a governor for everyone in this state.”

She criticized what she described as chaos in Washington and suggested her victory demonstrated the limits of money in politics. “You’ve shown that no amount of money will ever. Never, ever, ever overcome the power of the people,” Bottoms said.

The governor-elect also spoke about what the win meant to her personally, describing a trip to the gravesite of her great-great-grandmother, Betsy Peek, who entered the world 20 years before emancipation. “I don’t know what dreams Betsy Peek had for her children or for her grandchildren, or the generations that she would never meet,” Bottoms said. “But I know I am standing on shoulders made of steel.”

Instagram

Jackson called Bottoms on election night to concede and later addressed his supporters. “Tonight, the voters spoke and I respect their decision,” he said, congratulating Bottoms and asking supporters to keep her in their prayers as she prepares to take office.

A Quarter-Century of Republican Governors Ends

The governor’s race wasn’t the only shift Tuesday. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff secured another six years in Washington after defeating Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests. The race was called less than an hour after polls closed, giving Ossoff his second consecutive Senate election victory in Georgia after first winning the seat in 2021, when he helped Democrats flip control of the Senate.

'Georgia wanted Keisha': JUBILATION for Lance Bottoms' historic win in Georgia governor race

Speaking to supporters at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Ossoff characterized the election results as a rejection of President Donald Trump’s administration. “Georgia. You did it,” he told the crowd. "And if at times these last two years, with the constant violence and moral decay, you wondered whether our republic could endure. Let tonight’s results give you courage.”

Ossoff emphasized that winning reelection was only the beginning. “Tonight, we celebrate this victory, and tomorrow we get back to work,” he said. Collins conceded the race Tuesday night, thanking his supporters and indicating he intends to remain involved in public service. “The results may not be what we wanted tonight, but that’s okay,” Collins said, praising Trump and saying he looks forward to continuing to serve in whatever capacity he is afforded.

Bottoms wins Georgia governor race, defeats Jackson in historic Democratic sweep

Three More Historic Firsts Down the Ballot

Democrats also captured the lieutenant governor’s office, secretary of state and attorney general, completing a sweep of Georgia’s statewide executive offices. Josh McLaurin defeated Greg Dolezal 56 percent to 44 percent to win the state’s second-highest executive office, a position that carries significant influence over the state Senate and its legislative priorities. McLaurin outlined priorities for the state’s budget, emphasizing investments in working families, child care and behavioral health services. “Tomorrow is the first day of seeing our state budget, 40 billion state dollars, 44 billion federal dollars as a moral document that we can wield to invest in working families, make child care more affordable, and make sure that behavioral health needs are met,” he said.

Penny Brown Reynolds, a former Fulton County judge, defeated Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming to become Georgia’s next secretary of state, making history as the first Black woman elected to the position. She will succeed Republican Brad Raffensperger in an office responsible for administering Georgia’s elections, maintaining voter registration records and overseeing business filings. “When you think about all that we have been going through as it relates to the right to vote, I said over a year ago that a vote should be a right and not a fight,” Reynolds said.

Instagram

Tonya Miller defeated Republican Brian Strickland to become Georgia’s first female attorney general, succeeding outgoing Republican Attorney General Chris Carr as the state’s top legal officer. The office of the attorney general acts as the state’s legal representative, advises state agencies on legal questions and prosecutes select criminal cases along with consumer protection matters. “There is serious work ahead of us, and I am serious about that work to make our community safe, to protect consumers and working families, to defend civil liberties, and to restore confidence in the institutions that must earn the public’s trust,” Miller said.

The incoming officeholders will now turn their attention to January, when Bottoms is sworn in and Georgia begins a new chapter in state government under Democratic leadership across the executive branch.