Keisha Lance Bottoms' victory as the new governor-elect of Georgia the night of November 3 made history.
The Democrat, who defeated Republican nominee Rick Jackson for the office, became the first Black woman to be elected the governor of a U.S. state. She will also be the first female and first Black governor in the state's history.
However, for the 56-year-old politician, a life in the spotlight isn't new, thanks to the fame of her late father. Want to know more?
© Getty ImagesWho was Keisha Lance Bottoms' father?
Bottoms was born in Atlanta in 1970 to Sylvia Robinson and Major Lance, an R&B singer who had a string of hits in the 1960s and was a pop phenomenon in the 1970s across the pond.
After making some early strides in recording and TV in the 1950s, Lance received a record deal with Mercury Records for a one-off, releasing his debut single "I've Got a Girl" in 1959.
He then signed with Okeh Records and formed a writing partnership with Curtis Mayfield. After another non-started with the song "Delilah," Lance finally experienced success with his 1963 hit "The Monkey Time."
© Getty Images"The Monkey Time" became a top 10 hit in the United States and came just shy of topping the R&B chart. A string of successes followed on the R&B charts for Lance, who hit the top 10 three more times.
His biggest hit, 1964's "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um," was not only a top five hit in the United States, but also his only top 40 hit in the United Kingdom. It was also his first and only song to top the American R&B chart.
By the late 1960s, his singles experienced diminishing returns, especially as his partnership with Curtis ended, with his last top 40 R&B hit being 1970's "Must Be Love Coming Down." However, with the boom of Northern Soul in the United Kingdom, Lance decided to relocate there and became a massively popular club act.
© Getty ImagesHis 1973 album Major Lance's Greatest Hits Recorded Live at the Torch is now considered one of the greatest in the Northern Soul genre. In his final years, Lance moved back to Georgia. He died in 1994 from heart disease at the age of 55.
Keisha Lance Bottoms' political career
Bottoms' career in government began with her work as a prosecutor and magistrate judge. She was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2009. She served until 2018, when she was elected the mayor of Atlanta, a position she held until 2022.
In 2022, Bottoms was announced by then-president Joe Biden to be the director of the Office of Public Liaison, a position she held for eight months before being named to the President's Export Council. She resigned a day before the inauguration of Trump as President of the United States.
© Getty ImagesShe announced her candidacy for the democratic nomination for the governor of Georgia in April 2025, securing the nomination in May 2026 and winning the election in November 2026.
