Karen Handel concedes in Republican runoff for governor
The statement just arrived from her campaign:
I want to thank all of my friends, supporters, volunteers and my campaign team for a tremendous effort over the last 16 months. We ran a terrific campaign, beat the odds to come in first place in the Primary, and came so very close in the runoff election.
As of this morning, we are four tenths of a percentage point behind Nathan Deal with absentee ballots and overseas military votes yet to be counted.
We certainly have the option of requesting the automatic statewide recount. But we are not going to do that.
The best thing for our party is to rally around Congressman Deal as our nominee in the fight against Roy Barnes. Barnes would return Georgia to a past that is best kept in our rearview mirror. We must marshal all of our resources to defeat him.
I spoke with Nathan this morning and let him know that I endorse his candidacy and look forward to the fight against Barnes. I have also called on all who were supporting me to give their same commitment and energy to Nathan.
I thank the people of Georgia for the opportunity to serve them and for allowing me to interview for the job of Governor. This was an amazing journey, and the friendships that Steve and I made enriched our lives immeasurably. I look forward to finding a way to serve this great state in the future.
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151 comments Add your comment
Fred
August 11th, 2010
1:03 pm
Fred
August 11th, 2010
1:02 pm
THAT IS NOT ME!!!!!
IMPOSTER!!!!!!
SNAKE!!!!!!
DannyX
August 11th, 2010
1:09 pm
Leave Fred alone. He just needs a little attention, poor guy.
Hey Fred. Look I still have my X.
(Hope that helps.)
The Dude
August 11th, 2010
1:09 pm
Repubs are the cause of this economic mess. Barnes will help. Need to get rid of more elephants.
Ayn Rand was right
August 11th, 2010
1:11 pm
So sad to see the final results. The biggest prejudice in this world is against women. Thanks for keeping the class Karen.
Ayn Rand was right
August 11th, 2010
1:16 pm
A vote for Deal is a vote for corruption…a vote for Barnes is a vote for the good ol’ boy system…consideration for John Monds? I will enjoy casting a vote in November for a true Libertarian with values Georgia can appreciate.
Fred
August 11th, 2010
1:22 pm
Ayn Rand was an ugly old hag that entranced nerds with her words to get them to spill their seed into her barren lady parts.
Women, as a whole, ARE inferior to men.
IT’S IN THE BIBLE.
There are a couple of exceptions: SARAH PALIN, PHYLLIS SHLAFLY, LIZ CHENEY, MARY, & MY MOTHER.
ASK ALAN GREENSPAN IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME.
And also, Libertarians are just like the “bi-sexuals” they are too afraid to pick a side so EVERYONE hates them.
Fred
August 11th, 2010
1:25 pm
<<<<<<<<<as I said before, I am an idiot.
Fred
August 11th, 2010
1:27 pm
Fred
August 11th, 2010
1:25 pm
I AM GOING TO GET MY NEPHEW WHO IS REALLY GOOD AT COMPUTERS TO FIND YOU SO I CAN SUE YOU!!!!!!!
YOU ARE STEPPING ALL OVER MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS.
YOU ARE ON NOTICE.
And also, you will BURN!!
Jenny Lee
August 11th, 2010
1:31 pm
SMARTEST THING SHE DID!! sHE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO MARYLAND.
shyril
August 11th, 2010
1:36 pm
Karen Handel for Governor no way. Who wants a Governor that has only finished high school. She is now supporting Deal but wait she said he was unethical, so now he isnt?
Roy Barnes is the only sensible choice if we want to move forward. I guess Sarah Palin isnt magic after all. Hope we here in Georgia have seen the last of her.
Bye Bye Karen
August 11th, 2010
1:38 pm
LOL Fred. Keep it coming.
He’s is joking everyone. Laugh.
Ayn Rand was right
August 11th, 2010
1:40 pm
Fred, why are you typing all caps? Compensating for something?
And what pray tell is Alan Greenspan doing to your mama that makes her so special?
Choices from Hell
August 11th, 2010
1:40 pm
Barnes or Deal is like a judge ordering you to go to the senior prom and the only two dates left are Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers except worse; you also have to date them for the next four years.
grizzybear
August 11th, 2010
1:45 pm
the gop has has a lousy field of candidates, dems are not much better. i plan to throw my vote toward some libertarians, this is the best of the best, yuck!
Yikes!
August 11th, 2010
1:45 pm
Once I read that Handel didn’t have a college degree, I didn’t care about her views on a single issue affecting this state. I just couldn’t see having a Governor without at least a Bachelor’s degree.
She should have taken night classes and finished her degree, and should do so now if Deal lets her have evenings off in whatever appt he’s going to give her. Even an online degree is better than NO degree. How could I have told my 3 kids that it was so important to get a college degree if the Governor didn’t even have a degree. I mean really!!
Best case scenario
August 11th, 2010
1:51 pm
Best case scenario; Deal and Barnes each get caught making a sex tape; with each other, and the office is vacated for the next four years.
Chan
August 11th, 2010
1:52 pm
I voted for Handel. Very disappointed! Now it is BARNES ALL THE WAY.
Laura
August 11th, 2010
1:52 pm
TOO BAD, SO SAD.
I guess Sara Palin is still a loser.
Karyn, you could’ve won if you would have just left sara in alaska.
hahaha.
Laura
August 11th, 2010
1:54 pm
karen and sara palin – two dummies. sara is a country bumpkin and karen is just, well, dumb. she only has a high school education. what can she know?
John Galt
August 11th, 2010
1:54 pm
Black Bart, George “Sonny” Perdue’s alleged “Revenue Commissioner,” will now have to get that ol’ resume polished up. Either possible Guvna is going to give him his walking papers. There’s a big win for the State of Georgia at a time when we can really use one!
Timus
August 11th, 2010
2:03 pm
Thank God those stupid Karen Handel lipstick/ handbag commercials aren’t gonna be on anymore!! Those were the silliest!! And I still can’t believe Republicans were willing to elect a Governor that doesn’t even have a college degree!! Just because Sarah Palin endorsed her!!! Gee whiz!! Georgia!! Bring back Barnes!
The Goobernator
August 11th, 2010
2:14 pm
To all the Freds and his Cylon copies. Anyone can post under any name on this blog. Obviously a flaw, but it allows great amusement when one posts under a famous name. It Sucks for you when more than one person posts as just “Fred.” Trust your intelligent readers to know the
difference.
Jayne M. Barker
August 11th, 2010
2:22 pm
To our Lt Governor and the Legislature: Have a ball you all…
Aren’t you really proud of what you did to your fellow GOP person? SHAME, SHAME, SHAME…Hats off to Eric Johnson, Savannah, a real Christian statesman. Thanks Karen…
BulletHead
August 11th, 2010
2:23 pm
Karen “Palin” Handel, look to Hall county for the reason you lost the race. Hall county voted 16,452 for Neal to your 4,394. So, Hall county put the screws to that ass.
I’d advise you don’t drive anywhere near Gainesville… hahaha
Roy Barnes for Guvnor!!!
Fred
August 11th, 2010
2:26 pm
The Goobernator: I do not post for my glory or praise from the peanut gallery; rather, I post for the GLORY OF GOD. I am not famous, GOD IS FAMOUS.
It just galls me that “some” agents of SATAN want to call ME names when all I do is PRAISE JESUS and point out how they are all wrong.
I am INFUSED with the HOLY SPIRIT. I speak the WORD OF GOD and the word says that they will all BURN!!!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, BROTHER!!
And also, to paraphrase a wise man from southern California:
you better check yo self
Cause when you diss SARAH you diss yourself, BROTHER
Yeah BROTHA…
Handel is a quitter
August 11th, 2010
2:29 pm
By law, Karen Handel can demand a recount of the votes. But Handel apparently doesn’t have the tenacity or the will to fight for her legal rights. SHE’S A QUITTER. Surprise! Just like Sarah Palin is a quitter. Surprise!
Handel’s lack of tenacity would have been a huge negative as governor. Georgians are lucky she bowed out of the race. Thanks Karen for doing Georgians a favor. You’re showing your true stripes.
I would suggest Ms. Handel return to college and obtain a degree. A good fit for her may be long distance learning online instead of a bricks and mortar degree.
Fred
August 11th, 2010
2:29 pm
For the FAITHFUL: Please do not read too much into my quote above. I’m trying to bring GOD to the inner city heathens by re-working some songs I try to work in to my revivals.
DO NOT GOOGLE THE LYRICS – YOU MAY BE OFFENDED.
Billy Joe Poteet
August 11th, 2010
2:47 pm
@BulletHead
You obviously lack sufficient vocabulary skills and the command of the language to express your thoughts. This is hardly the forum for your very base and coarse language. Perhaps you would be best suited conversing in some back alley dive, smoking a menthol and nursing a half pint of M/D 20/20.
Outsider Looking In
August 11th, 2010
2:48 pm
The facts will continue to come out and by November 2nd , Georgia will have a proven corrupt and indicted Republican candidate for Governor. How sad for Republicans in Georgia! How unfortunate that that majority of the uninformed and chauvinistic Republican voters chose the Deal route. Now there is no good option left.
Smart folks will choose to leave Georgia if they can..and take more of the already dwindling tax revenues with them. Good luck Georgians!
RecountORSellOut
August 11th, 2010
4:00 pm
@Ayn Rand was right — INDEED! Sadly, most of the folk here probably don’t know who Ayn Rand was.
I do suggest everyone to read “Atlas Shrugged” if you haven’t.
—————————————
On the other hand,
Hey Lynn Westmoreland, let us know how much a Karen Handel sells for?
What about the absentee ballots which her campaign said were ~”6700″ outstanding in Fulton and Gwinnett counties the Handel campaign spoke of last night?
SoS. Brian Kemp: You’re the only one who can make the call now.
Fred
August 11th, 2010
4:13 pm
That’s right Brother Fred cuz
Georgia don’t love `em ho’s ` they out the `doh! fo shizzle my rizzles!
JerryFromGA
August 11th, 2010
4:58 pm
I find it amusing that the small minority of liberals in this state believe Barnes has a snowball’s chance in hell. This is the reddest of the red states and Barnes is a proven failure of the Georgia Democrat Party. The people in this state are filtering with secession due to failed policies of the Obama administation. They are not going to elect an Obama lapdog, which is what Barnes amounts to. Deal wins with almost 60% of the vote-take that to the bank.
kathryne lee
August 11th, 2010
5:09 pm
i would have rather had a candidate with no college degree than the two we are offered now. Both have college degrees and both are stupid and have no common sense let alone ethics. There are people without degrees who are more well read than some of these Yay-hoos. Like i said before, most are in for their own monetary gratification and could care less about you or me. You people need to get over your egos and start looking at the human being and how they live. Have any of you read Sarah Palin’s book? She is me only she had much less than I did growing up and she is human. Not presidential material, but could be a queen maker. Wake up – we need a woman who has values, ethics and cares. Not many out there who could run for the highest office in this land. How sad
Bobby Anthony
August 11th, 2010
6:07 pm
I will support and vote for Nathan Deal for Governor and Michael Thurmond for Senator in November.
Just Say No to Sarah
August 11th, 2010
6:13 pm
When you lie down with Sarah….
gitmo redux
August 11th, 2010
8:31 pm
Waterboarding is probably more pleasuable than visualizing Bullethead’s 2:23.
Jayne M. Barker
August 11th, 2010
8:48 pm
It not about 18 yrs experience in D.C., education, family background… it’s about ethics. Just talk about the issues, the economy, education, taxes, health issues,jobs, crime, and illegal immigrantion.
You “broke her spirit” and “cut her to the core”, and I have the nasty
bulletins to prove it. Now you need to use her tenacity…Fellows,
you are going to need all the help you can get because Barnes has
millions, is rested, & can match tricks with you any day of the week.
You and your “ladies” need to feel real good…have a ball!!! You have fractured the GOP so please quit bashing Karen Now!!! You won…
Jayne M. Barker
August 11th, 2010
9:02 pm
Improper laughter is called hysteria (a mental illness)…It’s also not
becoming to Southern ladies. Learn to smile and say, “My, My”… Work hard girls, you may have to settle for a Ford or a Chevy instead of that Lexis your “statesman” is leasing… A secret: Southern ladies don’t put anything but white meat (chicken) in chicken salad.
sodakhic
August 11th, 2010
9:21 pm
Thanks Sarah for helping Karen. She wasn’t even on the radar till you endorsed her. Now , with her classy backing of Deal, she will go on to bigger and better opportunities in Georgia..
Handel should concede defeat « The Minority Report
August 11th, 2010
10:06 pm
[...] update: Handel conceded defeat a few hours after this column [...]
palin's punch
August 11th, 2010
10:23 pm
palin cost handel the election. Without her, she wouldn’t have lost votes in 15 counties. Deal’s a crook–losing to him is an embarrassment. Way to go sarah—you did it again. Now get back to those consulting / book millions! Your new money!
Vinings
August 11th, 2010
11:45 pm
Memo to Handel…..get a degree, any degree. People admire those who go back to school later in life. It will enhance your ability.
Billy in Savannah
August 12th, 2010
6:28 am
Jdawg, respectfully you should ask some of your teacher friends to research the flag issue and not make such inaccurate statements. I know plenty of teachers willing to work with Barnes after these last eight years of GOP rule. Barnes all the way!
Justpeachy
August 12th, 2010
9:37 am
The people of ga didn’t speak the bafoons at ga right to life and their idiot followers did what they were told. They’d rather have a candidate that is going to be impeached midterm then someone that doesn’t oppose a woman aborting a child conceived from a horrific crime…. I mean it’s better to have the mother commit suicide than abort and we get a crrok for a candidate. I hated barnes as a governor but you all know he’s a genius he’s the Allen Shore of the courtroom he’ll serve Deals head on a platter. Thanks ga right to life for your ringing endorsement of a crook. Welcome back Roy.
Justpeachy
August 12th, 2010
9:48 am
Ps all you saying Handel should demand a recount and wait for absentee etc. Have you forgotten she was the secretary of state? She knows the process better then anyone. She knows the final result and did the classy thing. Deal likes to claim she was negative to get the heat off of him in the runoff but the reality is she wasn’t negative she just brought to the table what roy will take and run with and ultimately the GOP will be destroyed by in the unlikely event deal is elected. Karen is a class act.
Mugwump
August 12th, 2010
12:21 pm
Well, thank goodness. We no longer have the OX or Karen to beat on. They are history. Their past caught up with them and Roy will be sure to keep up the beat to drum out Deal. Who woulda thunk it. A bad deal either way.
justiceseeker
August 13th, 2010
9:43 pm
Karen might just be waiting to be Lt. Guv.
OR she could be a write-in. Do they do that in GA.?
Jayne M. Barker
August 14th, 2010
2:33 pm
You all play fair now, you hear!!! Have you called your MaMa today?
I wish I could call mine.
Jayne M. Barker
August 15th, 2010
11:11 am
RATIONALIZATION: “^The attempt to square one’s conscience by inventing
reasons for one’s own decisions, behavior or conduct.”
PROJECTION: “Mistaking for reality something which is only an image in the mind”.
DEFENSE MECHANISM: “Justification”…(Usually faulty).Some GOP voters?
Jayne M. Barker
August 15th, 2010
3:55 pm
Why did Handel concede so early being (short less half a percent, .4???
As we say in football: “Some times we just have to back up and punt…As we say in cards: Sometimes we have to cut our losses. As we
say in folklore: We are awallowing a “bitter pill”. One of the ironies
of getting beat and staying with the GOP is, all the hateful, mean spirited, unladylike/gentlemanly blogs have stopped. Thank you!