Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has made history by becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a US state, according to projections by the Associated Press (AP).
The former mayor of Atlanta and former adviser to US President Joe Biden defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson in Georgia. Jackson spent more than $200 million of his personal fortune in an attempt to succeed outgoing Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who remains popular in the state, reports Al Jazeera.
Bottoms’ victory was partly driven by strong support from Georgia’s sizeable Black voting bloc, which turned out in large numbers during the early voting period.
Throughout the campaign, Republican rivals sought to portray her tenure as Atlanta mayor as a period of rising crime and decline in the state’s largest city.
Rejecting the criticism, Bottoms told the Associated Press: “It’s a longstanding playbook to paint Atlanta as this big bad place”.
Her election marks the third consecutive time Georgia Democrats have nominated a Black woman for governor.
Stacey Abrams previously lost gubernatorial contests to Kemp in 2018 and 2022. Kemp is stepping down in January after serving eight years in office, having reached the end of his term limits.
