Election 2010: Georgia Republican Primary for Governor
Georgia Republican Primary for Governor: Deal, Handel Tied For Lead At 25% Apiece
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Boosted by major endorsements this week, ex-Congressman Nathan Deal and former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel are tied for the lead in the state?s Republican Primary contest for governor. Both, however, are far short of the number of votes needed to avoid a runoff.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Georgia finds Deal and Handel each earning 25% support. State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, the early leader in the Republican race, runs a close third with 20% of the vote.
Eric Johnson, who recently stepped down as a state senator, trails in the four-way race, capturing 13% support. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and a sizable 14% are undecided.
If no candidate captures a majority of the vote in Tuesday?s primary, the top two vote getters will face each other in an August 10 runoff.
Deal and Handel both have received endorsements this week that mirror the ongoing battle for the direction of the national Republican Party. Deal has been endorsed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Handel is one of the latest women candidates nationally to be endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the GOP?s 2008 vice presidential nominee. Gingrich and Palin are major contenders for the party?s presidential nomination in 2012.
Primaries are notoriously difficult to assess because of the generally low voter turnout. Georgia primary voters have been allowed to vote since early June, and, despite the contentious gubernatorial race, turnout has been predictably light. In such an environment, high-profile endorsements from people like Palin and Gingrich can have a huge impact during the final week of a campaign.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/georgia/election_2010_georgia_republican_primary_for_governor
