Keisha Lance Bottoms’ election as Georgia’s first Black woman governor is drawing renewed attention to Stacey Abrams‘ years of organizing. Political observers credit Abrams’ campaigns and voter outreach efforts with helping create the conditions for the historic victory.
Bottoms was among several Democrats who secured major victories in Georgia during Tuesday’s midterm elections. Democrats also won the attorney general and secretary of state races and flipped control of the state House.
Bottoms was not the only Black woman to make history in Georgia’s elections.
Six other Black women won statewide races: Tanya Miller, who will serve as attorney general; Katherine Juhan-Arnold, the incoming agriculture commissioner; Keisha Waites, who won the insurance commissioner’s race; Nikki Porcher, who will lead the Department of Labor; Sheila Edwards, elected to the Public Service Commission; and Lydia Powell, who will serve as state school superintendent.
The results marked a significant shift in a state where Abrams twice sought the governor’s office, losing to Republican Brian Kemp in 2018 and 2022.
But when NPR’s Michel Martin asked Abrams what Bottoms accomplished that she had not during her own gubernatorial campaigns, Abrams resisted framing the outcome as a matter of one candidate doing something differently.
“I wouldn’t frame it that way. This was a building process,” Abrams said.
She explained that her work in Georgia began long before either campaign, when Democrats were struggling to regain political ground in the state. After becoming House minority leader in November 2010, Abrams said she inherited a party weakened by a series of electoral losses.
“We lost every statewide office. We went into super minorities within a few years in the Senate and close in the House,” she told Martin.
Rather than treating her unsuccessful campaigns as the end of the effort, Abrams described them as part of a longer strategy to rebuild the Democratic Party and restore voters’ confidence in it.
“And so, the work that I was able to be a part of and help lead and part was about rebuilding the party, but more importantly, rebuilding the trust of the people. And that work takes time,” she said.
Abrams said the organizing that continued between election cycles helped create the foundation for Bottoms’ victory and Democratic gains across the state.
“I’m just grateful that in 2026, the work that we have been constructing led to this outcome that she won and that we were able to win up and down the ballot because it signals that that conversation, that investment and that consistency can pay dividends,” she said.
Political scientist Andra Gillespie, an associate professor at Emory University, also pointed to Abrams’ influence when discussing Bottoms’ historic win during an appearance on CBS.
Gillespie said Abrams’ campaigns helped change what voters considered possible in Georgia politics, particularly when it came to seeing a Black woman in the state’s highest office.
“While Abrams didn’t win, she certainly laid the groundwork for Keisha Lance Bottoms to win as governor,” Gillespie told the network.
She identified two important contributions. First, Abrams’ performance in her gubernatorial campaigns expanded the public’s sense of who could lead the state. Second, the 2018 campaign demonstrated that organizers could reach voters who had not consistently participated in elections.
“One, I think she helped to expand the imagination, so people understood what was possible. And that they could see Black women in leadership in how well Stacy Abrams performed,” Gillespie told the network.
Her comments highlighted a broader movement among Black women activists who have pushed for greater representation within the Democratic Party.
“And then Stacey Abrams was among a group of many Black Democratic women activists who were demanding that there be representation of Black women in leadership positions in the Democratic Party,” Gillespie said.
She described Black women as central to the party’s electoral strength, particularly in Georgia, where Black voters make up a majority of the Democratic electorate.
“Black women are the base of the democratic party nationally, and that is certainly the case here in Georgia, where Blacks make up the majority of Democratic voters,” she said. “It is only fitting for Black women to be seriously considered for positions of leadership.”
The election’s national demographic breakdown offered another indication of that support. Black women voted 93 percent Democratic, compared with 86 percent of Black men, according to an NBC exit poll.
During her NPR interview, Abrams described voter mobilization as more than persuading people who already participate in elections to support a different candidate. She said organizers must also remain present in communities that campaigns often overlook and reach people who have stopped believing their participation will make a difference.
“First, it’s the refusal to leave after a loss,” Abrams said. “I’ve been incredibly relentless about remaining engaged, about being in conversations, about being in communities that are so often overlooked.”
She pushed back against the familiar explanation that low turnout reflects voter apathy, arguing instead that many people have become discouraged because they do not believe elected officials will address their needs.
“I do not believe in voter apathy. That’s victim-blaming,” Abrams said. “There’s no one I’ve ever met who doesn’t care about their lives. What we are seeing is voter despair, and that’s being reflected across this country.”
Her comments point to a political reality that extends beyond the candidates who appear on ballots. Black women have helped shape the Democratic Party through organizing, advocacy, voter outreach, and elected leadership.
Bottoms’ victory represents a historic milestone, but Gillespie’s assessment and Abrams’ reflections suggest it did not emerge in isolation.
After congratulating Bottoms on social media Tuesday night, Abrams thanked the organizers and volunteers who helped deliver the result.
“Congratulations to Governor-elect @KeishaforGA for making history tonight. Georgians spoke clearly for a brighter direction for our state. Thank you to every organizer and volunteer who made sure those voices were heard. Let’s get to work,” she wrote.
The victories have also reignited discussion about whether Kamala Harris could run for the White House again, with some questioning whether the growing number of Black women winning major races signals an opening for her in a future presidential election.
Harris, who lost to Donald Trump in 2024, has drawn both encouragement and criticism as the conversation gains momentum.
Some supporters believe the results show that Black women remain a powerful force in Democratic politics and that Harris should consider another bid.
Others argue that the victories do not necessarily translate into support for her candidacy, pointing to what they viewed as shortcomings in her previous campaign and questioning whether she connected with voters on the issues that mattered most.
