Republican Karen Handel has conceded to former Rep. Nathan Deal in the Georgia runoff for governor, saying Wednesday morning it was best for the party to rally around Deal as the nominee.
With only provisional ballots and military and overseas ballots uncounted, Deal held a slim lead of fewer than 2,500 votes over Handel late Tuesday evening, or a 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent advantage. While Handel could have requested a recount had the margin remained less than 1 percent, she said her campaign wouldn’t pursue that option and threw her support behind Deal.
With only provisional ballots and military and overseas ballots uncounted, Deal held a slim lead of fewer than 2,500 votes over Handel late Tuesday evening, or a 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent advantage. While Handel could have requested a recount had the margin remained less than 1 percent, she said her campaign wouldn’t pursue that option and threw her support behind Deal.
“As of this morning, we are four-tenths of a percentage point behind Nathan Deal with absentee ballots and overseas military votes yet to be counted. We certainly have the option of requesting the automatic statewide recount. But we are not going to do that,” Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state, said in a statement.
“The best thing for our party is to rally around Congressman Deal as our nominee in the fight against [Democrat] Roy Barnes,” Handel said. “I spoke with Nathan this morning and let him know that I endorse his candidacy and look forward to the fight against Barnes. I have also called on all who were supporting me to give their same commitment and energy to Nathan.”
Handel’s concession ends what has been a bitter, divisive fight between the two Republicans. Handel slammed Deal over ethics complaints involving his family’s auto business, and Deal argued Handel was not conservative enough on key social issues, including abortion and gay rights.
Buoyed by an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Handel finished at the top of a seven-candidate field in the first round of voting on July 20, taking an 11-percentage-point lead over Deal. Palin held a rally on Monday for Handel, but her loss makes Handel the first female statewide candidate Palin has endorsed who hasn’t won her primary.
Deal got his own potential 2012 presidential candidate endorsement too, receiving the nod of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee last Thursday, and Huckabee also held a rally for Deal on Sunday.
Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart told POLITICO that Handel’s decision not to seek what could have been a lengthy recount shows she was putting the party’s best interests first.
“Karen is a party person and always has been, and she knows we’ve got our back up against the wall to catch up because of the runoff, and I appreciate what she did,” said Everhart.
Deal will now face former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes, who was the state’s governor for one term from 1999 to 2003 until being defeated by current Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2002.
National Republicans called Deal a “strong conservative voice” and argued voters wouldn’t want to return to Barnes’s tenure.
“In his never-ending quest for power, Barnes has forgotten that the office of governor is about the people, not about himself. He failed in his first term, and the voters will again reject his arrogant grab for another,” Republican Governors Association Political Director Paul Bennecke said in a statement.
Still, national Democrats were quick to seize on the divisions within the GOP and the ethics issues that had dogged Deal during the primary and runoff.
“Nathan Deal can hardly be called a winner today. A vicious runoff and the narrowest of margins produced the worst possible nominee in Georgia: a corrupt Washington insider,” Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Nathan Daschle said in a statement. “The GOP’s years of corruption, infighting and special-interest favors have Georgia falling back. In the meantime, Roy Barnes is showing voters how a commonsense leader can get people back to work and make Georgia great again.”
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0810/40951.html
“The best thing for our party is to rally around Congressman Deal as our nominee in the fight against [Democrat] Roy Barnes,” Handel said. “I spoke with Nathan this morning and let him know that I endorse his candidacy and look forward to the fight against Barnes. I have also called on all who were supporting me to give their same commitment and energy to Nathan.”
Handel’s concession ends what has been a bitter, divisive fight between the two Republicans. Handel slammed Deal over ethics complaints involving his family’s auto business, and Deal argued Handel was not conservative enough on key social issues, including abortion and gay rights.
Buoyed by an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Handel finished at the top of a seven-candidate field in the first round of voting on July 20, taking an 11-percentage-point lead over Deal. Palin held a rally on Monday for Handel, but her loss makes Handel the first female statewide candidate Palin has endorsed who hasn’t won her primary.
Deal got his own potential 2012 presidential candidate endorsement too, receiving the nod of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee last Thursday, and Huckabee also held a rally for Deal on Sunday.
Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart told POLITICO that Handel’s decision not to seek what could have been a lengthy recount shows she was putting the party’s best interests first.
“Karen is a party person and always has been, and she knows we’ve got our back up against the wall to catch up because of the runoff, and I appreciate what she did,” said Everhart.
Deal will now face former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes, who was the state’s governor for one term from 1999 to 2003 until being defeated by current Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2002.
National Republicans called Deal a “strong conservative voice” and argued voters wouldn’t want to return to Barnes’s tenure.
“In his never-ending quest for power, Barnes has forgotten that the office of governor is about the people, not about himself. He failed in his first term, and the voters will again reject his arrogant grab for another,” Republican Governors Association Political Director Paul Bennecke said in a statement.
Still, national Democrats were quick to seize on the divisions within the GOP and the ethics issues that had dogged Deal during the primary and runoff.
“Nathan Deal can hardly be called a winner today. A vicious runoff and the narrowest of margins produced the worst possible nominee in Georgia: a corrupt Washington insider,” Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Nathan Daschle said in a statement. “The GOP’s years of corruption, infighting and special-interest favors have Georgia falling back. In the meantime, Roy Barnes is showing voters how a commonsense leader can get people back to work and make Georgia great again.”
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0810/40951.html