GA-GOV

Poll: GOPer Deal Leads Dem Barnes By 4 In GA-GOV Race

Marc Kilstein | August 20, 2010, 10:01AM

GA Gov. candidates Nathan Deal (R) and Roy Barnes (D)

A new InsiderAdvantage poll finds former Republican Rep. Nathan Deal four points ahead of former Dem Gov. Roy Barnes in the Georgia gubernatorial race.

The latest numbers, which are InsiderAdvantage's first results for the Deal-Barnes matchup, show Deal on top 45%-41%. Libertarian candidate John Monds polls at 5% in the survey. Last week, a Rasmussen poll released right after Deal's narrow victory in the Republican primary runoff showed a larger nine-point advantage for the Republican nominee. That poll did not include a specific third-party candidate.

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GA-GOV

Rasmussen Poll: Deal Leads Barnes By 9 Points In GA-GOV Race

Eric Kleefeld | August 13, 2010, 2:39PM

GA Gov. candidates Nathan Deal (R) and Roy Barnes (D)

The new Rasmussen poll of the Georgia gubernatorial race gives Republican former Congressman Nathan Deal, who just won his primary runoff by a narrow margin this week, the lead over Democratic former Gov. Roy Barnes.

The numbers: Deal 51%, Barnes 42%. The survey of likely voters has a ±3% margin of error. In the previous Rasmussen poll from three weeks ago, conducted while Deal was fighting out the Republican runoff with Karen Handel, Deal led Barnes by 49%-43%. The TPM Poll Average gives Deal a lead of 50.6%-42.6%.

From the pollster's analysis: "Republicans seem to have come together quickly following Deal's 50.2% to 49.8% runoff win this week over Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, who quickly endorsed the victor. Deal earns 92% support from Republicans in the state. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Georgia Democrats back Barnes. Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer the Republican by a 56% to 33% margin."

GA-GOV

Karen Handel Concedes To Nathan Deal In GA-Gov

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 11, 2010, 11:15AM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel has conceded the Republican gubernatorial nomination to former Rep. Nathan Deal.

At last count, Deal was up by less than 2,500 votes in the runoff primary, triggering speculation that a long recount process was coming. Now Deal can avoid that process and shift gears to taking on the Democratic nominee, former Gov. Roy Barnes.

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GA-GOV

Handel Staying Silent While Votes Are Tallied In GOP's Too-Close-To-Call GA-Gov Runoff

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 11, 2010, 10:55AM

Georgia Republican gubernatorial nominee Karen Handel

The mama grizzly has lost her roar. As the final votes are counted in the Georgia Republican gubernatorial runoff, Karen Handel is -- so far -- keeping quiet. Her opponent in the contest, former Rep. Nathan Deal, is not.

That's probably because Deal has the miniscule lead heading into the second day of counting in Georgia. The Secretary Of State's website shows Deal ahead by less than 2,500 votes with 99% of precincts reporting. With that (slight) wind at his back, Deal was ready to take to the airwaves in Georgia as the frontrunner.

"Well, obviously we're pleased it appears we have a slim margin," Deal told Georgia Public Radio. "We just wait to have that finalized and hopefully the numbers are going to hold."

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GA-GOV

Georgia's GOP Gov Race Too Close To Call With 99% Precincts Reporting

Thomas Rhiel | August 10, 2010, 11:29PM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

The results are almost all in from Georgia's GOP gubernatorial runoff election -- and it's still too close to call.

With 99% of precincts reporting tonight, Ex-Rep. Nathan Deal leads Karen Handel 50.2%-49.8% -- a difference of just about 2,500 votes out of nearly 600,000 ballots counted so far.

The Associated Press has reportedly announced that it will not call the race tonight, as it remains too close to call.

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GA-GOV

Last-Minute Poll: Deal Pulls Even With Handel In GOP GA-GOV Runoff

Thomas Rhiel | August 10, 2010, 10:28AM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

Nathan Deal has pulled out in front of Karen Handel in today's GOP gubernatorial runoff in Georgia, a last-minute Landmark survey (PDF) finds. The poll shows Deal edging Handel 43.7%-41.9%, a lead that fall's within the poll's 3.9-point margin of error.

Landmark's last poll of the race, from August 1, showed Handel in the lead, 45.8%-37.1%.

Handel seems to have the wind at her back going into today's runoff election -- she won more votes in July's primary and boasts an endorsement from Sarah Palin. Landmark's new numbers, though, may give Deal supporters a reason to be hopeful as they await tonight's results.

The TPM Poll Average gives Handel a slim 43.7%-41.6% lead. Check out TPMDC's full coverage of the race here.

GA-GOV

A Peach Of A Primary: Georgia Holds GOP Gov Runoff Today

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 10, 2010, 8:39AM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

Today's thought experiment: who wins in a race between a Republican with Sarah Palin's endorsement and one who's birther-friendly and dared the federal government to stop him from deporting illegal immigrants?

Today, Republicans in the Peach State go to the polls to make their choice in the GOP runoff. The race pits former Secretary of State Karen Handel (the aforementioned Mama Grizzly) against former Rep. Nathan Deal (the one who just wanted to get to the bottom of the whole Obama birth certificate thing.) Who will win is anybody's guess -- the latest polls show the race as an absolute dead heat. Yesterday's Mason-Dixon poll showed Handel leading by five.

Indeed, the advantage likely goes to Handel, the woman who won the most votes in Georgia's July primary and stumped with Palin just yesterday.

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GA-GOV

Mason-Dixon Poll: Handel Leads Deal By 5 Heading Into GOP's GA-GOV Runoff

Marc Kilstein | August 9, 2010, 1:15PM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

The Georgia Republican gubernatorial runoff is a day away, and new Mason-Dixon polling numbers echo other recent polls' findings -- this race remains far from decided. The latest survey shows respondents favoring former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel over former Rep. Nathan Deal, with a slight 47%-42% advantage.

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GA-GOV

Poll: GOPers Deal And Handel In Dead Heat For GA-GOV Runoff

Marc Kilstein | August 6, 2010, 5:44PM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

A new InsiderAdvantage poll of the Georgia Republican gubernatorial runoff shows a statistical tie between former Rep. Nathan Deal and former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, 46%-46%.

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GA-GOV

Palin-Backed Candidate To Fellow GOPer In GA-GOV: Put On The Big Boy Pants (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 2, 2010, 3:09PM

GA GOV Republican candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel

With just over a week to go before Republicans in Georgia head back to the polls to pick their nominee for Governor in the Aug. 10 runoff election, the two candidates are stepping up their rhetoric. In a debate over the weekend, former Secretary of State Karen Handel -- one of Sarah Palin's "Mama Grizzlies" -- told her opponent, former Rep. Nathan Deal, that the attack ads of the runoff were nothing compared to what's coming when the winner of the Republican primary squares off against the Democratic nominee, former Gov. Roy Barnes.

"This is a race for governor. Things are tough. Campaigns are tough," Handel told Deal at the debate, after he called out her negative ads. "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?"

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