ATLANTA – The bitter, Republican runoff for Georgia governor between former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal and ex-Secretary of State Karen Handel may be too close to call.
In unofficial returns Tuesday night, the candidates each claimed 50 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Just over 3,500 votes separated the two with an unknown number of provisional ballots as well as overseas and military ballots yet to be counted.
Under Georgia law, the runner-up can request a recount if the margin is less than 1 percent of the total vote.
The three-week runoff between Deal and Handel has featured brutal attack ads, dueling endorsements from Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich and tough talk on the campaign trail.
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Roy Barnes, a Democrat running for his old job, in the November general election. The former governor locked up his party’s nomination in the July 20 primary.