From Hotline:

Riding the strength of 2 late endorsements, ex-Sec/State Karen Handel (R) earned the top spot in a runoff election last night, when she will face ex-Rep. Nathan Deal in the race for GA’s open GOV seat.

Handel won 33% of the vote with 99% of precincts reporting. Deal finished second with 23%. State Sen. Eric Johnson (R) finished third, with 20%, while Insurance Commis. John Oxendine, once the front-runner, finished fourth with 17%.

In the campaign’s closing weeks, Handel won endorsements from ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who added Handel to her roster of “Mama Grizzlies,” and AZ Gov. Jan Brewer (R), with whom Handel served when both were Sec/States. The runoff will be held Aug. 10.

With Oxendine’s campaign neutralized by a barrage of charges from his opponents and the courts, Deal found himself in a three-way race for second place with Johnson, both of whom made illegal immigration their no. 1 issue.

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