With victory, Isakson vows to uphold conservative principles


              Sen Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., gestures as he gives his victory speech Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Sen Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., gestures as he gives his victory speech Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

ATLANTA (AP) - Now that he's won another term in the U.S. Senate, Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson vowed to protect the security of families, work to wipe out terrorists and to ensure government regulations are fair for businesses.

In a victory speech late Tuesday, Isakson said he will be ready to take on whatever challenges arise for the nation and for Georgia.

"I can never thank you enough for the support you've given me, but I can repay you by being the best man I can be in the United States Senate and delivering conservative principles to Georgia every single day," Isakson said.

Isakson fended off two challengers to win re-election to the Senate in Tuesday's election.

Around 10 p.m. Tuesday, Isakson said Democrat challenger Jim Barksdale had called him to concede the race and congratulate him on the victory, which Isakson said was a class act.

"God bless him, I wish him the best of luck," Isakson told cheering supporters at the Georgia Republic Party's election-night gathering in north Atlanta.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said the state "proved once again that we believe in conservative representation in the United States Senate."

Barksdale told supporters he congratulated Isakson on a "very hard-fought race that really stuck to the issues."

"Although we may disagree on policy, I know that he will serve Georgia well," Barksdale said at an election-night watch party in downtown Atlanta.

Isakson had relied on a series of television ads focused on his Senate work, largely avoiding references to the presidential campaign. Though he was expected to win, Isakson sometimes struggled to draw a line between himself and Donald Trump while maintaining support for the party's divisive presidential nominee. The 71-year-old also dealt with questions about his health. He has Parkinson's disease.

Democrats in Georgia hoped Trump's low popularity with some voters could hurt Isakson's re-election campaign. But the party's candidate - Barksdale - struggled to get momentum against the well-known Isakson.

Barksdale is a newcomer to state politics and ran a low-key campaign until early October when he ramped up criticism of Isakson's continued endorsement of Trump. But Tuesday's election results suggest the shift was too little, too late.

Barksdale's best chance was to force Isakson into a nine-week runoff election. State law requires a candidate to reach more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Isakson has never failed to close out a Senate contest in November. He won about 58 percent of the vote in his last two Senate campaigns, winning over independent and Democratic voters swayed by his reputation as a moderate willing to work across party lines.

Early results suggest this year's margin will be narrower.

Isakson's supporters gathered Tuesday evening at the state party's event at a hotel in the Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. Isakson was smiling and joking with friends at the hotel early Tuesday evening before going into an upstairs room to watch vote returns on a laptop computer with his campaign staff.

Barksdale joined other Georgia Democrats at a hotel in downtown Atlanta. Party Chairman DuBose Porter rallied the crowd early in the evening, urging them to keep an eye on counties in metro Atlanta that tend to report later in the evening.

Barksdale's supporters, such as 41-year-old Judge Evans, who was voting at a polling place in the Vinings area of metro Atlanta, were hoping he could garner enough votes to force Isakson into a runoff.

Chris Hamer, 48, voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson for president because he said he has no confidence in either Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton, but he shunned the Libertarian senate candidate in favor of Isakson.

"I can't really complain about the job he's been doing," said Hamer, after voting at a church in Sandy Springs. "For the state, he's been good."

Karen Taylor, 52, also voted at a Sandy Springs church and cast her presidential vote for Clinton. Her vote for Barksdale was motivated more by party need rather than a strong feeling of support for him, she said.

"If I want Clinton to win, then I need the Senate to be Democratic as well so she can get things done," she said.

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Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Sandy Springs and photographer John Bazemore in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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