Keisha Lance Bottoms' chances of beating Republicans in Georgia governor's race

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms enters the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial race with real momentum—and a rare opening for Democrats in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat as governor in decades. Republican Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited, giving Democrats a shot at the governor's office in an open contest. Bottoms is polling ahead of her Republican counterparts and doing better than Stacey Abrams at this point in 2020 against Kemp. But with the runoff over, Republicans are going to be consolidating support around one candidate, making for an uphill battle for Bottoms.