The following is a statement from former Secretary of State Karen Handel:
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.
ATLANTA - Former Secretary of State Karen Handel on Wednesday conceded the race for the Republican nomination for governor, throwing her support behind former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal.
Handel, who trailed Deal by less than 2,500 votes out of more than a half-million cast, said she would not seek a re-count in the race. Under Georgia law, the runner-up can request a re-count if the margin is less than 1 percent of the vote.
Deal will face Democrat Roy Barnes, a former one-term governor, in the November general election.
"The best thing for our party is to rally around Congressman Deal as our nominee in the fight against Roy Barnes," Handel said in a statement released by her campaign. "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."
Earlier Wednesday, leaders of Georgia's fractured Republican Party preached unity at a breakfast in Atlanta - less than 12 hours after the race between Deal and Handel appeared too close to call.
In unofficial returns , Deal and Handel each claimed 50 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Deal held a lead of 2,489 votes with an unknown number of provisional, overseas and military ballots yet to be counted.
In her statement, Handel noted she had the option of requesting a re-count but had decided against it.
"I spoke with Nathan this morning and let him know that I endorse his candidacy and look forward to the fight against Barnes," Handel said. "I have also called on all who were supporting me to give their same commitment and energy to Nathan."
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said, "Secretary Handel has put her state and her party before herself today. She acted as a true statesman and we are very appreciative of that. With her gesture, we are now able to focus our full attention as a party on defeating Roy Barnes in November."
At the breakfast, Deal had said he expected to prevail when all the ballots are counted.
"We do believe the numbers that we see now will hold and that we will be the nominee," Deal told the crowd.
He also offered an olive branch to Handel, calling her "a worthy opponent."
"She campaigned hard. She is a vigorous defender of her principles and I commend her," the former congressman from Gainesville said.
Handel did not appear at the breakfast.
Handel had been the presumed front runner. She catapulted to the top of the seven-person GOP field in the July 20 primary - outpacing Deal by 11 percentage points. An endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin helped. Palin flew across four time zones on Monday to stump for Handel in Atlanta in a rally designed to lift the former secretary of state across the finish line.
But Deal battled back from ethics allegations and staged a late surge, patching together support from rural parts of the state that appeared to embrace his staunchly conservative views and 18-year record in Congress. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is a possible presidential contender, was on Deal's side.
Since no candidate in the primary grabbed 50 percent plus one vote, the top two, Handel and Deal, met in a runoff.