Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has officially won the Democratic primary for Georgia governor. This victory marks her bid to become the nation’s first Black woman elected governor and, if successful, she would also be the first woman and African American to serve as the state’s top executive.
The final results will be officially announced in November. The general-election battle to attain access for term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will offer a battleground test of Georgia’s staying power as a swing state.
Georgia narrowly backed President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020 before reflecting Donald Trump four years later, but no Democrat has led the state for decades.
Bottoms, who served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022, outlasted a crowded Democratic field. On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and health care executive Rick Jackson advanced to a June 16 unanimous election for their party nomination.
For those unversed, Bottoms is reportedly providing services when the city was struggling with the post-consequences of Covid-19 pandemic.
Notably, Biden considered picking her as a running mate in 2020. Her prime motive is to increase education funding among the core pillars of her running campaign.