Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Democratic nomination for Georgia governor

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms during qualifying week at the Georgia State Capitol in March 2026. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination to be Georgia’s next governor on Tuesday, setting up a November election where she hopes to win a seat that has eluded her party for more than two decades.

Bottoms snagged a rare endorsement from former President Joe Biden after serving in his administration. She has argued to voters that she was “battle-tested,” trying to make a virtue out of a mayoral term where she had to manage crime, disorder and the COVID-19 pandemic before her surprise decision not to seek reelection.

Following her win Tuesday night, Bottoms said she was going to work to make sure “every Georgian has an opportunity to succeed.”