Handel concedes GA governor primary race (Updated)

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In a surprise move, Karen Handel has apparently conceded the Georgia GOP primary race for governor without waiting for the remaining absentee and military votes to be counted:

In a statement just released from the Handel campaign, she said she called Deal this morning to concede the nomination.The November ballot is now set. Deal will represent the GOP and face Democrat Roy Barnes and Libertarian John Monds.

Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said that U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., coordinated the phone call between Handel and Deal.

“They had a very good talk,” Robinson said. “Nathan congratulated her on a great campaign. She told him that she would not ask for a recount and that she would be on board to help the party to victory in November.”

Deal, Robinson said, “thanked her for her graciousness and said he looked forward to meeting with her in person.We thank her for putting the party first and saving us a lot of heartache. She has shown that she is putting Georgia first and we are greatly appreciative of her selflessness in this situation.”

More here.

h/t: Rusty

Update: Jack Warren comments at TWS Blog.

- JP

CBS News: Palin, Huckabee to campaign in GA for opposing candidates

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Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee have endorsed opposing candidates in Georgia's GOP gubernatorial primary, and the two former governors will make appearances for their respective candidates in the Peach State before Tuesday's runoff election:

Former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Thursday endorsed former Rep. Nathan Deal, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Huckabee will appear at a rally for Deal in Gainesville, Georgia on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Palin will appear at a rally in Georgia on Monday, the Journal-Constitution reports, for the candidate she supports -- Georgia's former secretary of state, Karen Handel. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who was jolted into the national spotlight after deciding to take on the Obama administration over the issue of illegal immigration, has also endorsed Handel.

Handel and Deal will compete in a runoff on Tuesday, and the winner will face off against former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, a Democrat.

The race is seen by some pundits as a preview by proxy of a slice of the race for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. That scenario is somewhat enhanced by the results of a new InsiderAdvantage/WSB-TV poll released Friday which has Deal and Handel even at 46 percent apiece.

- JP

Handel to Deal: Stop whining and man up. (Updated)

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Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidates Karen Handel and Nathan Deal faced off in a Sunday night debate sponsored by Atlanta television station FOX 5:



One of the more memorable quotes of the debate came when Deal complained about the attack ads the Handel campaign were running against him. Handel, who has been endorsed by Sarah Palin, replied that the attack ads of the runoff were nothing compared to what will be seen after the GOP nominee is settled and Democrat Party candidate Gov. Roy Barnes takes his shots:

"This is a race for governor. Things are tough. Campaigns are tough. It's frankly time to put the big-boy pants on because, candidly, if you can't handle this, how are you going to handle Roy Barnes?"

Update: A new Landmark Poll hows Handel leading Deal by 9 points.

- JP

Matt Towery Sarah Palin Express steams into Georgia

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In a Townhall.com op-ed, Matt Towery discusses the Republican primary race for governor in the Peach State:

The Sarah Palin Express may be gaining even more steam, at least within the Republican Party. Another of her "Mama Grizzlies," Georgia's former secretary of state Karen Handel, on July 20 emerged from obscurity in the polls to take the most votes in the GOP general primary election for governor.

The feisty Handle now heads to an Aug. 10 runoff. She will face the more laid-back Nathan Deal, a former congressman who served many years in Washington. Deal switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican after the 1994 election, when Georgia's Newt Gingrich engineered his "Republican Revolution" that took control of the House.

[...]

None other than Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and the reigning queen of the Republican Party, entered on her personal Facebook page an endorsement of Handel a week or so before Election Day in Georgia.

[...]

Deal, Handel's GOP runoff opponent, hasn't enjoyed such luck. This week the Atlanta Journal-Constitution disclosed a subpoena from a federal grand jury. It was issued to Georgia's revenue commissioner and asked for all documents and information related to a meeting -- a quite contentious meeting -- Deal once had with the commissioner. The topic of discussion was a business relationship Deal and a partner had with the state for many years.

Deal has not been named as a target of the investigation. Nor has he been informed that he is in any way involved with the grand jury's inquiry.

Politically, that may not matter. One can imagine what campaign TV ads the Handel team will produce in the last weeks leading up to the runoff that will utter the chilling words "grand jury investigation."

Read Towery's full TH column here.

- JP

Gov. Palin to stump for Handel in Georgia August 9

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The Handel for Governor campaign announced Friday that Sarah Palin will campaign for their candidate just before the August 10 runoff election. WSB-TV reports:

In a statement issued Friday, Governor Palin said, "I'm coming to Georgia to campaign with my friend Karen because it is absolutely critical that Georgians nominate an ethical leader and a true conservative to take the fight to Roy Barnes in November. Karen Handel is a strong, pro-life leader who isn't afraid to take on the status quo and do the right thing. She will be the 21st Century Governor Georgia needs to tenaciously address the state’s challenges," said Palin.

Palin endorsed Handel just before this month's primaries.

"I am very excited that Governor Palin is coming to Georgia to help our final get-out-the-vote push," Handel said. "The energy and enthusiasm she will bring will make a huge difference in the final push to victory in the run-off election."

According to Fox 5 (WAGA-TV):

Palin will appear in a rally scheduled for noon on August 9 at a location that is yet to be determined.

Members of the general public interested in attending can obtain tickets and sign up to receive more information as it becomes available at karenhandel.com.

Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Handel's opponent in the runoff, former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, reacted to the news with a statement which has the smell of sour grapes about it. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's story:

“The people who know Karen Handel – the overwhelming, eye-popping, vast majority of Republican state legislators – have endorsed Nathan Deal.

“The people who know Nathan Deal – like Speaker Newt Gingrich and Speaker David Ralston and Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams – have endorsed Nathan Deal.

“The people who don’t know Karen Handel have endorsed Karen Handel. We have to give them the benefit of the doubt. They live far away. Maybe they just didn’t know the truth about her liberal record and her efforts to cover it up.”

Liberal? Get real, Mr. Deal. Handel is a conservative, and you're part of an investigation.

Update: Reserve your teickets for the august 9 rally here.

- JP