Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has made history by becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. The former Atlanta mayor defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson in Georgia’s gubernatorial election on Tuesday, ending more than two decades of Republican control of the governor’s office.

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Bottoms’ victory also marks the return of a Democrat to Georgia’s top office for the first time since 1998. She will succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who could not seek another term because of term limits. The result is a significant political shift in a state that has increasingly emerged as a battleground between Democrats and Republicans.

Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms?

A 56-year-old attorney and politician, Bottoms served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022. Before becoming mayor, she was an Atlanta City Council member and also worked as a judge. She was born and raised in Georgia and traces her family roots back five generations to the state.

Her time as mayor coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial justice protests of 2020. She became a prominent voice on issues affecting cities and communities across the country during that period.

After leaving the mayor’s office, Bottoms joined former President Joe Biden’s administration as senior adviser for public engagement. She led the White House Office of Public Engagement, working with community leaders and groups across the country.

What did she promise voters?

Bottoms built her campaign around the cost of living, healthcare and public services. She called for expanding Medicaid to extend health coverage to hundreds of thousands of Georgians and raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Her proposals also included better pay for teachers and public employees, a pause on new data centre development and repealing Georgia’s six-week abortion ban. She argued that the state needed to protect residents from policies introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

With AP inputs