Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms and what is Bottoms running on in the 2026 Georgia Governor race?

Keisha Lance Bottoms is the Democratic candidate for Georgia governor. Former Mayor of Atlanta; won the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary outright with 56.2%. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Open seat (Brian Kemp, R, term-limited).
• Rating: Toss-up (Cook, R+1 PVI).
• Polling: Jackson 48, Bottoms 45 (Rasmussen Reports, 1,019 LV, Sept 2026, reported by FOX 5 Atlanta); InsiderAdvantage (Aug 2026) Jackson 46.3, Bottoms 46.2.

Why Bottoms is behind

• Effectively tied: recent polls swing between Bottoms +7 (State Navigate, July) and Jackson +3 (Rasmussen, Sept).
• Markets have moved toward Jackson since August, when Kalshi had Bottoms 57 to 43; DeFi Rate now shows Jackson 53 to 49.
• Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, has Trump’s endorsement and a tax-cut message (property-tax freeze, income-tax cut, no tax on tips).
• Bottoms is helped by the national environment (Trump disapproval at 56% in a July poll), suburban Democratic trends, and her Medicaid-expansion pitch; Republicans have held the office for 20+ years.

What Bottoms is running on

• Healthcare. Wants to expand Medicaid in Georgia using federal dollars.
• Education. Wants more public school funding.
• Debates. Her campaign is pushing for six statewide debates.

In Bottoms’s own words

“We need to focus on how we can expand Medicaid in Georgia”

The other candidates

• Rick Jackson (R)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.