Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms captured the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary with 56% of the vote on Tuesday, surpassing the majority threshold needed to avoid a runoff and positioning herself as the Democratic nominee heading into the November general election.

“We have a very powerful campaign that’s ready to take on whoever comes out of this Republican primary in November,” Bottoms said in an interview with CBS News “The Takeout” following her victory.

Bottoms said the margin was no accident. Her campaign ran as if it were trailing throughout the race, and she said she believed internally they would clear 50%.

“We always said that we were going to run like we were 30 points down and not 30 points ahead,” she said.

On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson are headed to a June 16 runoff after neither cleared the majority threshold in Tuesday’s primary. Bottoms did not draw much of a distinction between the two.

“Just in terms of their running toward Trump’s MAGA agenda, they’re equally awful in that regard,” she said. “That’s not what the people of this state want to hear. They want to hear how we are going to address these everyday issues that are impacting their lives: cost of living, access or lack thereof to healthcare, education, access to jobs.”

If elected in November, Bottoms would make history as the first African American woman ever elected governor of Georgia and, she believes, the first in the entire country. She said the historical significance of that milestone is not what is driving her campaign.

“I don’t go around thinking about the label of being a Black woman,” she said. “What I’m thinking about right now is just how I’m going to deliver for the people across the state. It’s just about how will you make my life better and why should I vote for you.”

Bottoms also noted that the governor’s race is an open seat; Gov. Brian Kemp is not on the ballot, which she said gives Democrats an advantage heading into November.

“There are some inherent challenges when you go against an incumbent,” she said. “The fact that it’s an open seat gives us an even better opportunity to pick up the seat.”

On policy, Bottoms outlined several priorities she said she would pursue on day one as governor. She said she would extend the current gas tax suspension to provide relief at the pump, and pledged to expand Medicaid, a move she said would reverse the closure of nine rural hospitals and stop Georgia from leaving federal dollars on the table.

“Half our counties don’t even have OB-GYNs and pediatricians,” she said. “People are having to travel sometimes upwards of an hour or more to receive specialized care.”

Bottoms also called for increasing the state’s average starting teacher pay from $43,000 to $60,000 a year and eliminating state income taxes for teachers. On housing, she pledged to work with builders who specialize in affordable and workforce housing through low-interest loans and grants for homeowners.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Heavy downpours in the city of Atlanta has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning and had closed all lanes of the Downtown Connector.

The rain caused several issues on roads. There are also reports of flooding along North Avenue in the city.

>> First Alert Radar

This spring marks five years since LifeLink of Georgia and Piedmont Atlanta Hospital partnered to create a space dedicated to families of loved ones going through the organ donation process. 

While thousands of Georgians are still waiting, the Donor Care Unit at Piedmont Atlanta is recognizing a milestone as they march on to save and extend more lives.

More than a thousand names are on the ‘Tree of Life’ wall of LifeLink of Georgia’s offices. Their names are marked to remember the more than 3700 life-saving organ donation gifts through the unit in 2025 alone. It’s a milestone that would not exist without families like Kruchtens. 

Jed and Veronica Kruchen of Forsyth County did not need much convincing. Their son Finley, a 6-foot-4 varsity football player at Denmark High School, died in October 2024 after suffering a pulmonary embolism. He was 17. 

“His favorite book was ‘The Giving Tree’ growing up,” Jed Kruchten said. “We both looked at each other… of course, that’s what he would want to do. There’s zero cost, and you help save lives. Why wouldn’t you do it?”

Finley donated a kidney and his heart to a 55-year-old man. A 15-year-old girl received his other kidney. He gave the gift of sight to another person and dozens more were helped through tissue donation. 

“One life. One body. What you have can help 70 people,” Jed said. 

Three months after Finley died, Jed and Veronica launched the LL74 Finley Kruchten Foundation, giving scholarships to students. Two years in, applicants are still writing about Finley by name. 

“He was described this year as legendary,” Veronica said. 

Finley’s final days were spent inside the Donor Care Unit – one of only a handful in the country. 

It does not look like a traditional intensive care unit by design. Inside, it has six ICU beds, private family rooms, and quiet spaces built for the hardest conversations. 

“Everybody shows up, whether it’s LifeLink or Piedmont Atlanta team members, with that intent, that compassion, solely based on honoring our donors and honoring the donor families,” said Hope Weed, executive director of LifeLink of Georgia. 

Still, the need is great. More than 3 thousand Georgians are currently on the national transplant waiting list. Nationally, that number exceeds 109 thousand. 

“There’s only 36% of Georgians that are signed up,” Weed said. “That’s why we always encourage people to learn more about organ donation. Registered donors are key.”

Georgians can register as organ donors in about 60 seconds at 

mystorycontinues.com through LifeLink’s platform. Residents can also designate their donor status when renewing a driver’s license or hunting and fishing license. And to learn more about Riley’s story, visit their foundation’s website at LL74.org.