ATLANTA — Former Secretary of State Karen Handel conceded today in her bid for the GOP nomination to run for governor in Georgia.
She's throwing her support behind her opponent, former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal.
Handel said in a statement that she will not seek a recount even though she trailed Deal by less than 1 percent of the vote.
Handel said the best thing for the party is to rally around Deal as the party's nominee in the fight against Democratic nominee Roy Barnes.
In unofficial returns, Deal and Handel had each claimed 50 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Deal held a slim lead with an unknown number of provisional, overseas and military ballots yet to be counted. Under Georgia law, the runner-up can request a re-count if the margin is less than 1 percent.
Recounting the more than a half-million ballots cast Tuesday could have delayed selection of a GOP nominee until next week.
Both candidates had high-profile Republicans in their corner.
Handel had been the presumed front runner. She catapulted to the top of the seven-person GOP field in the July 20 primary — outpacing Deal by 11 percentage points. An endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin helped. Palin flew across four time zones on Monday to stump for Handel in Atlanta in a rally designed to lift the former secretary of state across the finish line.
But Deal battled back from ethics allegations and staged a late surge, patching together support from rural parts of the state that appeared to embrace his staunchly conservative views and 18-year record in Congress. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is a possible presidential contender, was on Deal's side.
Since no candidate in the primary grabbed 50 percent plus one vote, the top two, Handel and Deal, met in a runoff.
The winner will face Democrat Roy Barnes in November.
As the two battled across the state for their party's nomination, Deal cast Handel as too liberal and suggested her lack of a college degree sent the wrong message to Georgia students.
Meanwhile, Handel repeatedly assailed Deal's ethics and labeled him "a corrupt relic of Washington." During a televised debate, Handel called on Deal to stop "squealing" about negative attacks and put on "big boy pants."
The 48-year-old Handel cast herself as a fiery outsider, and Deal, 67, played the role of steady, consensus builder with backing from many Republican members of the state Legislature.
Handel had initially refused to concede saying, "we are in this fight," she said. "Let's keep the faith, stay optimistic and party on."
Barnes is already running ads for the general election and said he will run his own race regardless of the Republican outcome.
"I'm going to be laying out the comparisons and contrasts in this race based on issues not personalities," Barnes said.
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Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Errin Haines in Gainesville contributed to this report.
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Karen Handel: 50% 289,353 votes
How Richmond County voted
Karen Handel 66%
Nathan Deal 34%
How Columbia County voted
Karen Handel 60%
Nathan Deal 40%
WHAT'S NEXT: Winner will face Democrat Roy Barnes on Nov. 2.
Online:
Nathan Deal for Governor: www.nathandeal.org
Karen Handel for Governor: www.karenhandel.com
I am starting a new group - Republicans for Barnes.
I prefer to see what the Libertarian and Constitution parties have to offer.
Many Arrows---"Republicans for Barnes" bumper stickers could be seen in Cobb County the last time Roy Barnes ran for governor.
I think all of the Repubs that intend to vote for Barnes changed parties in the '90s.
I think this race is as close as it was from the beginning. While both candidates stuck to the issues during the initial primary campaign, all that changed in the run off as their stance on most issues is to similar to separate. For informed voters, it all came down to history.
The final count will decide a winner between these two fine candidates, either of which will soundly defeat the Dem.
As far as "bitter" goes, I want the AP to remain bitter about both candidates. It's an indication they're on the right track.
With Handel losing, we can finally stick a fork in Sonny. He may say he was neutral, but his actions behind the scene from the beginning of the campaign speak differently.
Can they not pick better looking pictures. Both Deal and Perdue look ridiculous in those pictures.
Well, everybody know what you get with Barnes; a crook.
I've got two comments: 1. I really hope this doesn't turn into a hanging chad ordeal, but we need to get this right. 2. How could anyone vote for Barnes after hearing the mathematically impossible proposals in his campaign ads? "I'm going to pay teachers more, decrease class size, no more furloughs." Where is this money going to come from?
How about we make Georgia very attractive to business by cutting corporate tax rates, then perhaps they'll move here and hire some people?
Barnes is either living in a fantasy world or that means the rest of the state employees will take an even harder hit to allow for his campaign promises to teachers.
Barnes staple argument has been that the state is losing ungodly amounts of revenue through Sonny's loopholes in the tax code for his cronies. He aims to close them to get revenue up.
Also, we live in a state with the individual tax revenue in the lower 30%. You pay less, you get less. I myself would like a public education system since every successful person I have ever met was educated in it. I would be willing to pay $10 a month more (the amount need to close the gap) to have the education system be where it need to be.
Well Many Arrows.. I understand your frustration, especially if these tallies hold. It looks like Deal's associations with the county machines (especially in the rural ones) may have helped him squeak by. The thing is, Deal in my opinion is a crook.. he used his political position for personal gain.. he is no better than Charlie Rangel and the dirty Dems.. but atleast the Dems seem to atleast be sanctioning their bad apples... in georgia, we make the GOP nominee for governor. I doubt I could vote for Barnes, because he is just another good-ole-boy machine politician.. I may have to go Libertarian in this election.
Well look at it this way.. Handel received 66% of the vote in Richmond County and 60% in Columbia County, despite that most of the local GOP politicians backed Deal. So this was a huge rejection of the endorsements of the local good-ole-boys and gals. The numbers in RC are quite significant and should give Team Lori Davis some numbers to chew on for the upcoming mayoral election. If there was that much support for handel in RC (maybe a lot of ladies went out and voted), then there may be even more support for a strong lady like davis in the mayoral election.
Um, Handel just conceded? Hello, editorial desk at AC? Hello?
Riverman. "It's so hard to beat political machines." You are right, and for November elections, that should have everyone concerned.
Thank you Sarah Palin for the Kiss of Death. Palin will be starting her own Death Panels by endorsing candidates of her choosing and consigning them to the hereafter!
ABB - Anyone but Barnes! Okay, everybody vent for a few hours, then take a deep breath and get behind Nathan. (I supported Handel in the primary and the runoff, but we need a Republican governor).
Rural Ga. killed Handel. The perception that she didn't know anything about the state, just Atlanta, killed her. The Palin kiss of death is what got her in rural Ga. Palin comes across with a " you're not smart enough to know what to do, just do as I say" attitude. Given Handel's track record, with her conceding, she has another job doing something lined up. I also hope this is the last of Palin sightings in Ga.
It had nothing to do with Palin.. It had everything to do with a low turnout run-off.. that's what the county political machines thrive on.. they have the local organization and can turn out their people in these low turnout runoffs. we see it repeatedly in Georgia.
Dixie.. Deal is a crook.. he will not get my vote. In this instance the Democrat may just be the lesser of two evils.. but I think the Libertarian deserves a good looking over.
Emerydan, believe that if you want. I happen to live in rural Ga. and know of at least a couple of dozen people that feel that way. If it happened in my small space of Ga., you can bet that it happened all over Ga. Out of this couple of dozen, most voted for Handel in the primary.
Also, Emrydan, look at the voting map on ajc.com. It will show you that rural ga. killed her. Take a look at some of the comments on the blog as well, it will back up my claim.
yes, Deal won handily in the rural counties, where the GOP good-ole-boy machine that backed him has more clout and ability to get their folks out.
Talked to some folks around Atlanta and the perception was that Handel was a RHINO....something to do with monies spent on issues some folks did not care for.
I'll agree with you on that Emerydan. So why didn't Handel spend more time and focus on these areas? She knew she had metro Atl. locked up, yet she spent most of her time and energy there. Didn't make sense to me.
Prove Deal is a "crook." I haven't seen anything that Jim Whitehead didn't do in Columbia County. I, for one, am not going to vote for a woman just because she's a woman. That would be no different than voting for a black person just because he's black. I feel Deal was the right guy for the job.
Less than 600,000 votes decides this GOP gubenatorial primary! Where are all the Republican voters that are going to come out and change the world? Too busy whining & complaining, and too lazy to get out and actually do something. It is easy to say NO.
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Back .jpg "Georgia gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel waves to supporters as she speaks during an election-night party. Handel is in a runoff with former Congressman Nathan Deal for the Republican nomination. Associated Press")
.jpg "Georgia gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal, left, is supported by his wife Sandra while telling supporters his race with Karen Handel is too close to call during a republican primary runoff election gathering. Associated Press")
