Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former adviser to ex-President Joe Biden, is projected to win the Georgia governor's race. Bottoms defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson to become the first Democrat to prevail in a Georgia governor's race since 1998.
With this victory, Bottoms will become the first Black woman to lead a US state. Her win wrests control of the governor's mansion from Republicans after more than two decades, marking the first time Georgia has elected a Democratic governor in over 20 years.
The victory reflects a significant shift in Georgia state politics, as Black voters have formed a central part of the Democratic coalition that helped turn the reliably Republican state into a national battleground.
Bottoms' win, along with those of Byron Donalds in Florida and Wes Moore in Maryland, means that multiple Black governors will serve simultaneously for the first time.