AROUND TOWN: Georgia’s last Democratic governor has advice for its next one
The day after Georgia elected its first Democratic governor in over two decades, the last person to hold that distinction spoke in Cobb County. Roy Barnes, who served as Georgia’s governor from 1999 to 2003, addressed the Rotary Club of Marietta Wednesday. Georgia’s last Democratic governor opened his remarks by joking that he didn’t know what to talk about. He went on to analyze the 2026 midterm election results from the night before, and gave his perspective on why the Democratic Party had such banner results across the nation. Barnes chalked up the widespread Democratic victories to national frustrations with President Donald Trump’s administration. “Donald Trump crisscrossed primarily the Southeast and Midwest, and told the crowds that were listening, ‘Vote like I'm on the ballot,’” he said. “And they did.” Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected as Georgia’s first Democratic mayor in over two decades since Barnes left office, and became the first Black woman to be elected governor of any state. Barnes expressed optimism about Bottoms’ future as governor, noting she will be Georgia’s first governor since 1966 to not come through the Georgia General Assembly. “I think it's going to be a learning curve for her,”
