Georgia Democrats Sweep Statewide Races; Bottoms Makes History as First Black Woman Governor

Democrats swept all major statewide races in Georgia's 2026 midterm elections, with Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history. The party also flipped control of the Public Service Commission and gained ground in the state legislature. Bottoms will be Georgia's first Democratic governor since 2003, defeating Republicans by wider margins than expected. Other Democratic winners included Jon Ossoff for U.S. Senate, Josh McLaurin for lieutenant governor, and Penny Brown Reynolds for secretary of state. Democrats won every statewide constitutional office. The Democratic wave extended nationally, with the party taking control of both U.S. House and Senate and winning governorships in Iowa, Ohio, and Texas. Georgia Republicans acknowledged major losses, calling it a "transitioning period" for the party.