Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s gubernatorial election, adding uncertainty around Audi’s plan to build its first US factory in the state. The former Atlanta mayor defeated Republican Rick Jackson, who was backed by President Donald Trump, by about 54% to 46%, according to the reported result.
The outcome was wider than polls had suggested, which showed a close race until the final days. Bottoms will become Georgia’s first woman and first Black governor. The last Democrat to win the state’s gubernatorial election did so in 1998.
Audi plans to invest around $4 billion in the Georgia facility. Bottoms has not yet commented publicly on the project. A spokesperson for the state’s economic development department told Handelsblatt that Georgia’s support for the investment follows its established approach to backing major automaker projects across successive administrations, and that the state’s commitments extend over decades.
The factory announcement has become politically charged. Nearly two weeks before the election, Trump announced the project at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, with Audi CEO Gernot Döllner onstage. Döllner described the factory as a long-term investment reflecting Audi’s confidence in the US market. Jackson also appeared at the rally.
Sources: Handelsblatt.