Bottoms, Four Other Women Take Georgia Executive Roles
Democrats swept six statewide offices on Tuesday, with Black women winning governor and four other posts for the first time.
By Giulia Marshall ·
Georgia voters elected a Democratic slate of six constitutional officers on Tuesday. The group includes the state's first Black female governor and the first women to hold four other executive posts.
Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated billionaire Republican Rick Jackson to become the nation's first Black female governor. Her win ends a 24-year Democratic absence from the state executive mansion. She joins four other Black women who secured top state positions.
Penny Brown Reynolds won the secretary of state race against state Rep. Tim Fleming. The former Fulton County judge becomes the first woman and first woman of color to serve as Georgia’s top elections official. Tanya Miller defeated state Sen. Brian Strickland to become the state's first Black female attorney general.
Keisha Sean Waites upset incumbent John King for insurance and safety fire commissioner. The former Atlanta city councilor brings disaster recovery experience to the statewide regulator. Nikki Porcher defeated incumbent Bárbara Rivera Holmes for labor commissioner, citing plans to modernize unemployment systems.
Lydia Powell unseated longtime incumbent Richard Woods for state school superintendent. Katherine Juhan-Arnold defeated Tyler Harper for agriculture commissioner, taking control of a $91.4 billion agribusiness sector. Josh McLaurin won lieutenant governor, becoming the first Democrat in that role since 2007.
McLaurin, a state senator from Sandy Springs, defeated Greg Dolezal. He will preside over a Republican-majority state Senate. The results mark the first time Black women have held the state’s most powerful executive and administrative posts simultaneously.
