Eight Black Women Make History in Georgia Statewide Elections

On November 3, Georgia voters elected eight Black women to statewide office, marking a historic milestone for representation in state government. The victories came as Democratic candidates across the country made significant gains in congressional and state elections, reflecting a shift in the political landscape. Georgia’s results stand out not only for their historic significance, but also for the growing political influence and leadership of Black women across the South.

Over the last decade, Georgia has become increasingly competitive for Democrats, electing Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the US Senate. This year, the state elected Keisha Lance Bottom, the former mayor of Atlanta, as governor. Bottoms will become the first Black woman governor and the state’s first Democratic governor elected since 1998. 

In her victory speech, Bottoms recognized the broader significance of the results, saying, “And just for the people of Georgia, for us to have had the blue wave, or the blue tsunami, as it’s being described in this state, really represents a shift in Georgia, throughout the South, I believe, that’s going to reshape who we are as a party, as a state for many years to come.”

Bottoms shares this historic moment with seven other Black women who have won statewide races in Georgia, marking a historic moment for the South as the political landscape begins to change. 

Penny Brown Reynolds, former Fulton County judge and Biden administration USDA official, becomes the first Black woman to hold the position of Secretary of State in Georgia. Tanya Miller, former federal prosecutor and Georgia state representative, becomes the state’s first Black woman elected attorney general.

The other historic winners include Keisha Sean Waites, elected as Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner; Nikki Porcher as Labor Commissioner; Lydia Powell as State School Superintendent; and Katherine Juhan-Arnold as Agriculture Commissioner. Sheila Edwards was elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission’s District 5 seat. Together, these victories mean Black women will hold seven of Georgia’s eight major executive offices, alongside a seat on the state’s public utility regulatory commission. 

The elected candidates now replace Republican white men in a state President Donald Trump led by more than 2 percentage points in 2024. 

This victory was championed by Black voters who have been a pivotal voting group despite efforts to redistrict and disenfranchise their vote. In the Georgia state election, 95% of Black eligible voters voted for Democrats. Young Black women aged 18-29 outperformed men and other racial groups with 96% of their votes going to Democrats. 

Georgia’s results were part of a broader series of Democratic gains across the South, including elections in North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Voters, specifically Black voters, showed up demanding accountability, affordability, and change. 

In 2018, the late civil rights activist and Georgia Congressman John Lewis spoke about the future of political representation in the South. During a rally supporting Stacey Abrams, he said,   “When the state of Georgia becomes blue, along with the state of Texas, they will not be able to hold us down. It’s gonna happen.” Lewis’s words reflected the longstanding fight for political representation and the power of voter participation. Eight Black women winning statewide office in Georgia marks another historic chapter in that ongoing struggle.