Keisha Lance Bottoms has shared her first speech since being elected as Georgia’s newest governor and the first Black female governor in the United States’ 250-year history. As Bottoms prepared to take the stage, her youngest daughter took the mic to introduce her mother and share her pride in Bottoms’s historic win.
“First, I just want to say how proud I am of my mom. I’ve watched her work hard, face challenges, and continue to believe in the people of Georgia and what we can do together,” Lincoln said. “Beyond the governor that she’ll be, she’s my mom. And that’s what makes this moment so special for me. Mom, I love you. I’m proud of you. And I’m especially grateful that even with everything on your plate, you still make time to do TikTok dances with me. Those moments mean so much to me, and they remind me that no matter how important your work is, you’ll always be my mom first. I can’t wait to see what you do for the state”
Bottoms, who won with 54.2% of the vote at time of publication, began her speech reflecting on her travels across the state of Georgia throughout her campaign, sharing how every constituent’s “hopes, dreams and disappointments” are imprinted on her heart. From the veterans to the college students to teenagers to caregivers to farmers to entrepreneurs, the former Atlanta Mayor says her gubernatorial campaign was for every community in every corner of the state.
“Georgia, this win is for all of us. I will be a governor for all of Georgia,” Bottoms said in her victory speech. “We sent a message loud and clear that we want a leader who will put Georgia first and who will stand up to all the chaos coming out of Washington, D.C. But even more importantly, you sent the message that in these times of division and acrimony, you believe in something foundational, and that is hope.”
Going on to thank her family, husband, and various members of her campaign team, Bottoms, a native Georgian whose lineage can be traced back for generations, took a moment to honor her ancestors. Describing them as a “heavenly cloud of witnesses” that have cheered her on throughout the race, the Georgia governor reflected on a trip she recently took to Crawfordville, Georgia, in her speech. Beyond her family’s ties to the historic city, Crawfordville was also the home of Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States and 50th governor of Georgia.
“I visited the grave of Betsy Peak, my great-great-grandmother, who was born in 1845, 20 years before emancipation. In a cemetery filled with unmarked graves, I found hers,” Bottoms told the crowd, reflecting on her visit. “I don’t know what dreams Betsy Peak had for her children or for her grandchildren or the generations that she would never meet, but I know I am standing on shoulders made of steel.”
She continued: “So, yes, Crawfordville produced the Confederacy’s vice president, but tonight it also produced your next governor. Tonight should remind us all that no matter what community we come from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person. It’s been by all of us, and I will be a governor for everyone in this state.”
Throughout her campaign, Bottoms, like many Black candidates in this midterm election, faced a notable funding gap compared to her healthcare-billionaire opponent, Rick Jackson. Despite the 5-to-1 spending gap, the HBCU alum and former Atlanta mayor overcame it and beat Jackson.
“From the beginning of this campaign, I believe that God would not give vision without provision,” Bottoms noted. “That provision has come by way of every prayer sent, every door knocked, every phone call made, every donation given, and every sign that has been planted. In big and small ways, you’ve shown that no amount of money will ever never ever ever overcome the power of the people.”
“Georgia, I have said over the past few days, ‘if I were your woman.’ Well, now I am your woman. And here is what I will do. I will never ever stop loving you,” she concluded. “Thank you, Georgia, for electing me as your governor. God bless you all, and may God bless our great state.”
