ATLANTA — After her decisive and historic election Tuesday night, governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms is already moving to set a course for her administration.
“We’ve already begun the work to begin laying out these priority areas,” Bottoms told reporters gathered inside her southwest Atlanta campaign office on Wednesday. “It’s pretty intensive.”
As she prepares to take the helm of state government, Georgia’s first Black female governor said she’s considering staff appointments and top legislative priorities for when she takes office in January.
“We heard the people loud and clear when they talked about challenges related to affordability, how they’ll pay their rent, how they will access health care,” she declared.
On Wednesday, Bottoms said she’d spoken to Gov. Brian Kemp about plans for the transition. “It was a very good conversation,” she recalled. “His team is going to be available to us to help us with an orderly transition and a productive transition.”
After unprecedented midterm election victories in Georgia, Democrats are feeling bullish about making changes in state government.
“We will be working on all of those things you heard us talking about in the campaign,” House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, likely the next Georgia House Speaker, said during a Wednesday news conference at the State Capitol. “You can expect that the issues that we put forward in this next legislative session are going to be focused on meeting that challenge of affordability.”
After more than 20 years in the minority under the Gold Dome, Georgia Democrats will now have to work to find their footing.
They are promising to work with their Republican counterparts to get things done. The GOP maintains a slim majority in the Georgia Senate.
Following the election results, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns released this statement: “While a few key seats remain within the recount margin, we still have a strong, resilient, and committed caucus. Our dedication to protecting Georgia’s conservative values has not—and will not—change. We will continue showing up for the job we were elected to do each and every day—defending our future, uplifting our neighbors, strengthening opportunity, and keeping Georgia the great state we all know and love.”