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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for Georgia governor on Tuesday, making history as the first Black woman to be elected governor in the country and flipping a governor’s mansion that had been held by Republicans for over two decades.
With 95 percent of the vote counted, Bottoms had garnered 54.2 percent of the vote, while Jackson had 45.8.
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Bottoms, the 56-year-old former mayor of Atlanta, triumphed over her Republican opponent, billionaire Rick Jackson, to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Brian Kemp, in a crucial battleground state despite a significant campaigning spending deficit driven by Jackson spending more than $200 million of his own fortune on the race in the crucial battleground state..
Acknowledging the historic nature of her win, Bottoms told supporters in her victory speech that she was standing on "shoulders made of steel."
“Georgia, we sent a message loud and clear that we want a leader who will put Georgia first and who will stand up to all the chaos coming out of Washington, D.C.," she said. "But even more importantly, you sent the message that in these times of division and acrimony, you believe in something foundational, and that is hope."
She added: "No matter who you voted for, I will be a governor for all of Georgia."
Jackson told supporters that the voters "spoke… and I respect their decision."
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Bottoms spent the campaign focusing on policy, saying she wants to expand the Medicaid insurance program, increase Georgia's minimum wage and repeal Georgia's six-week abortion ban.
She also pledged to “make sure we are protected from the harmful policies of Donald Trump,” and repeatedly reminded voters that Jackson said he wanted to govern like “Trump with a Southern tone” and become the president’s “favorite governor.”
“I’m not running to be his favorite governor,” she said during their debate. “I’m running to work on behalf of people like you.”
President Trump had endorsed Jackson after he defeated Trump's pick in the Republican primary, saying at a rally in July: “I watched this man run and he’s really phenomenal actually.”
But Jackson focused less on Trump in the weeks leading up to Election Day, as Republican candidates faced a challenging environment amid Trump’s falling approval ratings as voters grew increasingly frustrated about high costs and the Iran war.
Jackson leaned heavily on his biography, speaking about overcoming the struggles of his childhood, which he spent in foster care, to becoming a successful businessman. He is the founder of Jackson Healthcare, a huge company that provides contract nurses and other workers to hospitals and health systems.
"My father left me at nine months old. My mother was a sixth-grade educated waitress with a severe alcohol problem," Jackson said in his only debate against Bottoms last month. "I had seven stepfathers before I was 12. I lived in the projects, went to 13 different schools, and lived in five different foster homes. I couldn’t afford to go to college, so I started my own business at 21."
Promising to work for working-class voters, he added: "I know what it means to struggle. I know what it means to get a second chance. And I’m running for governor to make sure every Georgian has that same opportunity."
He also sought to center the race on Bottoms’ record as the mayor of Atlanta, criticizing her handling of protests in the city following the 2020 police killings of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta and George Floyd in Minneapolis and arguing that “bad mayors don’t make good governors.”
What Did Jackson, Bottoms Promise?
Bottoms campaigned on expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and increasing the pay of teachers, firefighters and police officers.
She also called for pausing data center development and blocking the expansion of AI-powered Flock surveillance cameras used by law enforcement.
She also pledged to seek to overturn Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, which took effect in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Jackson’s campaign said he supports the state’s law as it currently stands, including the exceptions for rape, incest and saving the life of the mother.
Jackson has pledged to cut Georgia’s personal income tax in half by the end of his first term, and that he would not run for a second term if he fails to deliver.
He has also promises raises for public employee if elected, saying he can deliver on that while still phasing out the state income tax.
He has proposed expanding healthcare coverage through partnerships with private insurers. His approach would require a federal waiver and a level of federal financial support that no administration has provided to a state that has not expanded Medicaid directly, the AP reported.
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