From the Bottoms up: Black elected women rise in Georgia

It’s a historic night of victories up and down the ballot

Higher Heights for America President and CEO Glynda C. Carr released the following statement following major primary victories and historic advances by Black women candidates across Georgia:

“Tonight, Georgia voters made one thing unmistakably clear: Black women are not waiting for the future. We are building it.

From the top of the ticket to races up and down the ballot, Black women candidates and Black women voters delivered a powerful statement about the direction of Georgia and the future of American democracy. This was not just a strong election night. This was a declaration of political power.

Congratulations to Keisha Lance Bottoms on advancing in her race for governor of Georgia, Tanya Miller on advancing in the race for Georgia Attorney General, and Penny Brown Reynolds on advancing in the race for Georgia Secretary of State. We also congratulate Lucy McBath, Nikema Williams, Amanda Hollowell, and Jasmine Clark on advancing in their respective congressional contests, along with the many Black women across Georgia who stepped forward to lead with courage, vision, and purpose.

Tonight’s victories and advances represent something bigger than individual campaigns. They represent a movement of Black women leaders refusing to shrink in the face of attacks on our democracy, our voting rights, and our communities. At a time when extremists are working to roll back hard-fought freedoms and silence the voices of Black voters, Georgia answered with organizing, turnout, and transformational leadership.

Black women once again proved that we are the architects of democracy.

As this nation marks 250 years since its founding, we are being called to decide what the next chapter of American democracy will look like. Will we move backward into division and exclusion, or forward toward representation, justice, and shared power? Tonight, Georgia chose forward.

The possibility of electing the nation’s first Black woman governor is historic on its own. But what unfolded tonight across Georgia is even bigger. Black women are not only running for office, we are building governing power. From Congress to statewide office, from protecting voting rights to safeguarding economic opportunity and defending our freedoms, Black women candidates are stepping into this moment with boldness and clarity.

This election was also a reminder that the road to the 2026 midterms runs directly through the South and through the organizing power of Black women. The energy, turnout, and momentum we saw tonight will shape races across the country in the months ahead.

The stakes remain extraordinarily high. The attacks will continue. The barriers will persist. But Black women have always known how to organize through resistance and lead through uncertainty. That is our legacy. That is our power.

Tonight belongs to every Black woman voter who stood in line, every organizer who knocked on doors, every volunteer who made calls, every young girl watching history unfold and seeing new possibilities for herself reflected back.

Georgia did not just witness political victories tonight. Georgia witnessed the continued rise of Black women’s political power.

And this is only the beginning.”