Bottoms wins Georgia, becomes first US Black woman governor

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States after defeating billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson in Georgia's midterm election.

Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, secured the historic victory on Tuesday, returning the governorship to Democrats after more than two decades of Republican control.

Her election marks a milestone in American political representation, making her the first Black woman to win the top executive office in any US state.

Her victory was part of a series of historic electoral breakthroughs for Democrats during the midterm elections, which also saw the party win control of both chambers of Congress.

The election took place amid widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's second-term policies, including his handling of the economy and the war in the Middle East.

Bill Shiebler, chief strategy officer of State Voices, a non-profit organisation focused on civic engagement and equity, described the election as “a huge rebuke against hate and division”.

“We're witnessing an electorate that increasingly sees itself in its leaders, and the leaders who come out of communities they now represent,” he told AFP.

Reacting to the wider electoral gains, Shiebler described the outcome as a moment when voters chose to embrace the country's democratic promise.

“This was a historic election where people decided to believe in themselves and really lean into the hope about the promise of this country, rebuking an effort to snuff out people's voices,” he said.

Bottoms' victory also comes alongside other historic breakthroughs in the election, including the emergence of the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate and the first Native American woman elected governor.

However, her election stands out as a landmark in the representation of Black women in American political leadership.