Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) defeated six other candidates to win the Democratic Party primary for governor on May 19, 2026, receiving 58% of the vote. Lance and three other candidates — Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, and Michael Thurmond — led in polling, fundraising, and media coverage ahead of the primary.
Bottoms was the Mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022. She was also a senior adviser to former President Joe Biden (D) and a member of the Atlanta City Council. According to her campaign website, Bottoms ran for governor "to deliver for working families and bring steady leadership to Georgia in the midst of uncertainty and chaos coming from Washington."
In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bottoms said her goals as governor would include expanding Medicaid, improving public education, eliminating state income taxes for teachers, offering free technical and community college, and helping small businesses.
