DALTON, Ga. - The two Republican runoff candidates vying to be Georgia's next governor met Saturday for their first debate since Tuesday's election.
Neither Karen Handel nor Nathan Deal appeared ready to dial down the pitch of their negative attacks that dominated the first part of their primary bid.
The most heated portion of the debate appeared to center around Georgia Right to Life and comments by its leaders about Ms. Handel's stance on abortion.
"There is a time and a place when leaders should stand up, and all of my opponents sat there in abject silence when Georgia Right to Life was offensive to so many women," Ms. Handel said.
Last week, Ms. Handel called on Georgia Right to Life leaders to resign. On Saturday she called Mr. Deal to task for not supporting her demand for resignations after the group first called infertile women "barren and desperate" and then later for saying that Ms. Handel's abortion stance would have allowed former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to abort her child born with Down syndrome.
Mr. Deal said he does not condone the comments by Georgia Right to Life, but that he didn't think it was appropriate to call for a resignation.
"This is a private organization," Mr. Deal said. "I think we have seen far too often the example of our President Barack Obama injecting government into private organizations trying to tell people what to do."
Mr. Deal, a former 9th District congressman, and Ms. Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state, are gripped in a struggle for their party's nomination and the chance to run against former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes, who lost a re-election bid in 2002.
Ms. Handel, who led in votes Tuesday, continued to brand herself as a "lifelong, conservative Republican," a jab at Mr. Deal, who served in the Georgia Legislature and Congress as a Democrat before switching parties in 1995.
"I am not a career politician," Ms. Handel said. "I know that we need a next-generation leader in Georgia."
In the end, Mr. Deal shot back at Ms. Handel's attempt to label him.
"There are a lot of labels being thrown around, but I am someone that stays with a job until it's done," Mr. Deal said. "I am not someone who has never served a complete term in office and looked at or sought three elected offices over the last few years."
9th district
Eight candidates shared billing with the gubernatorial hopefuls, including Rep. Tom Graves and state Sen. Lee Hawkins, who are running for the 9th Congressional District seat left vacant by Mr. Deal's resignation to run for governor.
Both men said the district needs a strong conservative voice to counter Democrats and President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. Mr. Graves said he's the best man for that job because he already carries seniority in Congress.
"You have a congressman whose seniority dates back to the 2008 freshman class," said Rep. Graves, who was just sworn into Congress 40 days ago. "We all know there is going to be a large swing of seats ... your congressman, sitting right before you, will have seniority over all of them."
Sen. Hawkins said he's the best man for the job.
"The person with the greatest effect will be the congressman that not only knows the issues, but is willing to go to other congressmen, as I did in the Senate, to get them on your side and voting for the issues that moves this country forward."
The debate was sponsored by the 9th Congressional District Republican Party.
In addition to candidates for governor and for Congress, other statewide candidates debated the issues. Candidates for attorney general, Sam Olens and Preston Smith; candidates for insurance commissioner, Ralph Hudgens and Maria Sheffield; and candidates for public service commissioner, Tim Echols and John Douglas, participated in the debate.