WASHINGTON (AURN News) — Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has won the Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia, securing more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary and avoiding a runoff.
The victory positions Bottoms to face a Republican opponent in November for a governor’s office Democrats have not held in 24 years.
Bottoms, who served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022 and later as a senior adviser in the Biden administration, defeated a crowded field that included former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and former state Sen. Jason Esteves.
Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, Bottoms said Georgia voters sent a clear message that they want to stand up to President Donald Trump.
If elected, Bottoms could become Georgia’s first Black woman governor and the nation’s first Black woman elected governor.
On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and health care billionaire Rick Jackson are headed to a June 16 runoff, with the winner set to face Bottoms in November.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
