Keisha Lance Bottoms Defeats Rick Jackson: Republicans’ Disastrous Energy Policy Cost Them the Governor’s Race

ATLANTA — Tonight Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson in a victory for the people of Georgia. By electing Bottoms governor, Georgians rejected Republicans’ energy policy: the war in Iran that pushed diesel to a record $6.35 a gallon, and the clean energy cuts and unchecked data center growth that have driven Georgia electricity prices up 18% since Trump took office. Energy costs were front of mind for voters this election. In recent polling, gas prices (46%) and utility costs (37%) ranked among voters’ top three issues, behind only groceries. Six in 10 voters said Trump is making energy prices worse.

Time and time again, Republicans like Jackson have cheered on policies that block cheaper, faster, cleaner energy, and Georgia families are paying for it. Georgia Power has raised bills six times since 2023, costing families more than $500 a year, and Georgians have paid an extra $2 billion at the pump since the war in Iran began. When asked about soaring gas prices, Jackson bragged about owning an oil refinery. He praised the 2025 budget bill that cut his own taxes by 40% while gutting Georgia clean energy. He opposed a statewide pause on data center growth while being a major investor in a developer building a data center in Texas over local opposition. Governor-elect Bottoms has committed to rein in Georgia’s rapid data center expansion so families aren’t stuck with higher utility bills and strained water supplies, and to give communities the power to cut sales taxes on groceries and essentials when prices spike.

“Georgians want leaders who will help them fill the tank, keep the lights on, and put food on the table, and that’s why they elected Keisha Lance Bottoms,” said Climate Power’s Georgia State Director Mark McLaurin. “Rick Jackson got rich off oil while Georgia families paid the price, and voters held him accountable. Governor-elect Bottoms will get to work lowering costs for Georgia families.”

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