Bottoms wins Georgia governor's race, flipping office to Democrats

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms will be Georgia's next governor after the Associated Press declared her the winner at 9:24 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to AP's live midterm coverage.

Unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State, last updated at 4:19 a.m. EST on Nov. 4, showed Bottoms with 2,268,462 votes, or 54.3%. Republican Rick Jackson received 1,908,261 votes, or 45.7%. All 159 reporting units had reported, with 4,176,723 votes counted. Bottoms led by 360,201 votes, a margin of 8.6 percentage points.

Bottoms is the first former Atlanta mayor elected Georgia governor and the first Democrat to win the office since 1998, AP reported. AP also reported she is the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state.

Roswell's state senator wins lieutenant governor's race

Closer to home, state Sen. Josh McLaurin won the lieutenant governor's race, defeating Republican Greg Dolezal, CBS News reported. McLaurin represents Senate District 14, which includes Roswell, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Alpharetta.

The 38-year-old attorney will succeed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and preside over the state Senate, according to CBS News. He previously served four years in the Georgia House before winning a Senate seat in 2022. McLaurin is a University of Georgia and Yale Law School graduate, according to Atlanta News First.

McLaurin will preside over a state Senate likely controlled by Republicans, Atlanta News First reported.

What the candidates said

Bottoms addressed supporters after the AP call. "No matter who you voted for tonight, I will be a governor for all of Georgia," Bottoms said, according to AP's live coverage. "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, DC."

Jackson conceded the race, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. "Tonight the voters spoke. And I respect their decision," Jackson said in his concession speech, as reported by Fox 5 Atlanta. "This was a hard-fought election. Keisha Lance Bottoms deserves our congratulations and our prayers as she prepares to take office."

AP declared Democrat Jon Ossoff the winner of the Georgia U.S. Senate race over Republican Mike Collins at 7:55 p.m. EST.

What was at stake

Bottoms replaces Gov. Brian Kemp, who has served since 2019 and is term-limited. Her win ends the Republican Party's hold on the governor's office dating to 2002, according to WABE.

The key issues in the race:

• Taxes and affordability: Bottoms proposed a property tax relief package, a gas tax cut and letting local governments waive sales taxes on groceries. Jackson proposed cutting the state income tax in half along with property and sales tax reductions.
• Healthcare: Bottoms called for federal Medicaid expansion. Jackson spoke of "intelligent" Medicaid expansion but offered few specifics, according to WABE.
• No Libertarian on the ballot: For the first time since 1994, no Libertarian candidate appeared. The party lost ballot access in 2024 and could not regain it.

Background

Bottoms served one term as Atlanta's 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022 and later worked as a senior adviser in the Biden administration. She took more than 56% of the vote in the May Democratic primary. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden endorsed her.

Jackson, 72, is the founder of Jackson Healthcare. He says he grew up in Georgia's foster care system and built a path to business ownership after he could not afford college. He spent more than $200 million of his own money on the campaign, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Jackson faced Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a June Republican runoff before the general election, according to WABE. Kemp and President Donald Trump endorsed Jackson.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. Every reporting unit has reported, according to unofficial results from Georgia Secretary of State.

Election results: Georgia Governor (Georgia General Election, Nov. 3, 2026)

Source: Georgia Secretary of State. Results current as of Nov. 4, 2026, 4:19 a.m. EST. Reporting: 159 of 159. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.