Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms will aim to become first Black woman governor in US history

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will win the Democratic primary for Georgia governor in her quest to become the nation’s first Black woman elected governor.

If she wins in November, Bottoms also would become the first woman and African American to serve as Georgia’s chief executive.

Bottoms, who served as Atlanta mayor between 2018 and 2022, beat out a crowded Democratic field. On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and health care executive Rick Jackson advanced Tuesday to a June 16 runoff for their party nomination.

The general-election battle to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will offer a crucial test of Georgia’s staying power as a swing state. The Peach State narrowly backed President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020 before swinging back to President Donald Trump four years later, but no Democrat has led the state for decades.

It is the third consecutive time a Black woman has been the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor. Stacey Abrams was defeated by Kemp in the 2018 and 2022 state election.

Bottoms served as mayor at a time when the city grappled with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising violence and unrest over policing practices. Bottoms, who was among the Black women Biden weighed picking as a running mate in 2020, later joined his administration as the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Biden endorsed her bid for governor, calling her “battle-tested” and ready to lead the state.

She’s made expanding Medicaid coverage and increasing education funding among the key pillars of her campaign.

This story has been updated with additional details.