Savannah mayor says Georgia’s new governor will benefit the Coastal Empire

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected Georgia governor, making her the first Black woman to hold the office in the United States.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said he was on pins and needles while watching as Bottoms finished with roughly a 9% lead over Rick Jackson.

A Democrat had not been elected to lead Georgia’s governor’s office in the 21st century.

Mayor cites qualifications

Johnson, a personal friend of Bottoms, said her qualifications and opposition to the federal administration led to her win.

“I think people were ready to try something different, so I reject the fact that people voted for her because of her color, the fact is that she was qualified and so we will see her use her abilities to engage and work across party lines as the next governor of our great state,” Johnson said.

Johnson also says the attack ads that targeted her time as mayor were incorrect, and portrayed her incorrectly.

Keisha Lance Bottoms told WTOC on Election Day that she never raised property taxes while providing large raises for law enforcement.

The two both say her time as mayor was a large reason for her win.

What led to Bottoms’ win

Johnson said the ground for the win was laid by Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2018 and 2022.

“Before we appreciate this moment I have to be very careful to mention Stacey Abrams. Ran for Governor twice and received more votes than anyone other than Brian Kemp, I think she broke that glass ceiling,” Johnson said.

Bottoms said the morning of the election that she was hoping for a turnout similar to 2018.

She finished with roughly 300k more votes than Brian Kemp, who won, had in that election.

Impact on Savannah

Johnson said Georgia now has a governor who has a clear understanding of the Coastal Empire and Savannah specifically. He said the city will benefit from her term as governor.

“She’s very familiar with Savannah, she’s spent a lot of time in Savannah, and I think that’s really important so for us, she understands the issues that Savannah and coastal Georgia faces, she recognizes that the state is not just metro Atlanta, and I believe she will give us due attention and concerns specific to our concerns here that we deserve,” Johnson said.

The two were close during their time as mayor’s, Johnson of Savannah and Bottoms of Atlanta. During the pandemic, Bottoms says she was on the phone with Johnson “almost every single day” talking about the problems the country was facing at the time.