Chambliss takes early lead in runoff

Incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss was on his way to re-election victory two hours after the polls closed Tuesday night.

With 68 percent of precincts reporting, Sen. Chambliss had 61 percent of the vote, topping Democratic challenger Jim Martin in the general election runoff for the U.S. Senate seat.

Getting Sen. Chambliss re-elected for another six-year term took on national focus for the Republican Party when post-Nov. 4 result found the Democrats lacked two Senate seats of having a filibuster proof 60-vote majority.

Sen. Chambliss’ post, which was undecided because he did not get the 50 percent plus one vote minimum required under Georgia law, and the Minnesota seat of Sen. Norm Coleman, who is squeaking by in a recount over former comedian Al Franken, represented the difference.

The Minnesota race is still undecided, but Georgia voters in the Tuesday runoff denied the Democrats the hammerlock a 60-seat super-majority would have represented in the U.S. Senate.