Deal Defeats Handel.

Former Congressman, Nathan Deal defeated former Georgia Secretary of State, Karen Handel in the runoff to be the Republican candidate in the Georgia governor's race.

He wasn't my first choice. I had backed Handel after she received the endorsement of Arizona's governor Jan Brewer. Still, Deal is far and away a much better pick than former governor, Democrat Roy Barnes.

According to examiner.com Deal's margin of victory was less than 1%. Handel could have asked for a recount under Georgia law but choose to concede, insuring GOP unity behind Deal.

There's certainly no hard feelings on my part. I'm not going to speculate as to why Deal was chosen by such a slim margin. It was a close race.

From the AJC :

"Yesterday, Karen Handel called Nathan Deal a 'corrupt relic of Washington.' Today, however, Handel said she is endorsing him as the GOP nominee for governor."

Current GA. Governor, Sonny Perdue, had remained quiet during the GOP primary. Now, he's giving his support to his fellow Republican;

“Our Republican family has nominated an outstanding candidate for Governor.

“Nathan Deal has worked tirelessly to represent our Georgia values in Washington against the forced liberal agenda pushed by Roy Barnes’ allies such as Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and John Edwards. The refusal of those leaders to listen to the will of the people on critical issues such as out-of-control spending and health care mandates simply reminds Georgians about the way Barnes ruled imperially here before 2003.

“In contrast, Nathan is a common-sense conservative who has consistently represented the principles and beliefs of our state’s citizens. Unlike his opponent, Nathan Deal listens first and talks second. Now it is time for our family to come together and keep Georgia moving forward.”

Politics, as usual.