Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Georgia governor's race, the first Black woman elected to lead a U.S. state

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for governor of Georgia on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Rick Jackson, CBS News projected.

Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, becomes the first Black woman in U.S. history elected to lead a state, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. She is also Georgia's first woman governor and its first Black governor, according to CBS News.

Why it matters

• Republicans had held the governor's office since Sonny Perdue beat Democrat Roy Barnes in 2002, CBS News and the AJC reported.
• Bottoms succeeds Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who could not seek a third straight term under state law.
• Jackson, a 72-year-old health care executive, spent more than $200 million of his own money on the race, the AJC reported.
• Libertarian Chase Oliver was also on the ballot.

Bottoms campaigned alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff as a joint ticket, according to the AJC.

Other governor's races

Forbes reported these results from Tuesday, Nov. 3:

• Florida: Republican Rep. Byron Donalds beat Democrat David Jolly in what Forbes called a tight race.
• Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois: Democratic Govs. Wes Moore, Josh Shapiro and J.B. Pritzker won new terms.

Vote totals for Georgia were still being counted early on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Official results come from the Georgia Secretary of State.