Georgians head to the polls Tuesday with a chance to break one of the most stubborn barriers in American politics. In 250 years, no Black woman has ever been elected governor of a U.S. state. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is trying to be the first.

The race could hardly be closer. A final statewide survey of 2,500 likely voters had Bottoms at 49.03% and Republican businessman Rick Jackson at 49%, with 2% still undecided and a margin of error under two points. Earlier polling also found a dead heat.

A history-making field

Bottoms is part of a record field this year. Eight Black candidates are running for governor in eight states, five Democrats and three Republicans. In Minnesota, Republican Lisa Demuth is also bidding to become the first Black woman to win a governor's race.

Only three Black Americans have ever been elected governor. All were men: Douglas Wilder in Virginia in 1989, Deval Patrick in Massachusetts in 2006 and Wes Moore in Maryland in 2022. Fifty-three women have won governor's races, yet none of them were Black. Stacey Abrams came closest in Georgia, winning the Democratic nomination twice before falling short.

Bottoms has embraced what her campaign represents. She has said she can trace her family back at least five generations in Georgia to a plantation. As a descendant of people who were once enslaved, she said, the chance to serve the state feels deeply personal and an honor.

A final sprint across Georgia

She spent the last day of the campaign crossing the state, stopping in Dalton, Crawfordville, Athens and Augusta before rallying supporters in northwest Atlanta. Her closing pitch was simple. She told the crowd that Georgia's best days are still ahead and promised to make the state a leader in business, health care, education and support for small businesses.

Jackson toured metro Atlanta, Savannah and Albany alongside Gov. Brian Kemp and attacked Bottoms over her time as mayor. The two are competing to lead a state that has already topped its early voting totals from both 2018 and 2022.

Polls in Georgia are open until 7 p.m. local time. Whatever the result, the outcome will be watched far beyond the state's borders.