At 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Judge Penny Brown Reynolds had not yet been to bed. The night before, she was declared the winner of the secretary of state race in Georgia, the first Black person and the first Black woman to be elected to this office in state history. Her win was part of a Democratic sweep of statewide offices on election night, with Democrats taking all 10 statewide races — meaning that all eight Black women running statewide in Georgia saw wins last night, too.
I believe that we were selected because all of us bring something that Georgia desperately needs. I know I’m not a politician and we know that this was no ordinary time. What this says is that a Black woman can lead by being her authentic self.
It says there is a turning, if you will, in America — that in the state of Dr. Martin Luther King and John Lewis, that maybe, just maybe, we’re finally being judged by the content of our character and the experience and leadership that we bring.” The wins in Georgia were part of a blue wave that swept the country. Multiple Black women made history, notably former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who will be the first Black woman governor in U.S. history.
In addition to Bottoms and Brown Reynolds, the six other Black women who ran for statewide office in Georgia and won are Tanya Miller, who will be attorney general; Katherine Juhan-Arnold, who will be agriculture commissioner; Keisha Waites, who will be insurance commissioner; Nikki Porcher, who will be labor commissioner; Sheila Edwards, who will be public service commissioner; and Lydia Powell, who will be state school superintendent. Two White men who are also Democrats — Sen. Jon Ossoff, who ran for reelection, and Josh McLaurin, who ran for lieutenant governor — also won their races.
Saira Draper, who won her campaign for state Senate, posted on the social media platform X last night: “Georgia just elected more statewide officials named Keisha than Republicans.” Jessica Mackler, the president of EMILY’s List, which supports women candidates in races up and down ballots nationwide, said Bottoms’ embrace of Medicaid expansion resonated with voters statewide. Wins by Miller and Brown Reynolds have implications for the availability of abortion in the state, as well as rules around elections, she added. Mackler said that at EMILY’s List, it became clear early in the 2026 cycle that what was most important to voters was having candidates that they could connect with because they had similar lived experiences.
The eight Black women who won in Georgia last night speak to that. I have prosecuted violent crimes and fought for victims whose voices deserve to be heard. I have defended constitutional rights and represented people who simply wanted a fair chance against powerful institutions.” And, she stressed, that only speaks to the power of her win.
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