David Perdue Wins Senate Seat, and Nathan Deal Is Re

ATLANTA - David Perdue won Georgia's open Senate seat on Tuesday and Nathan Deal, his fellow Republican, was re-elected governor, dealing decisive blows to moderate Democratic challengers from famous political families who had hoped to force the races into runoffs.

With 147 of 159 counties reporting as of late Tuesday, Mr. Perdue had 56 percent of the vote, while his Democratic challenger, Michelle Nunn, had 42 percent.

In the governor's race, the returns showed Mr. Deal defeating Jason Carter, a grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, 56 percent to 41 percent.

'The one thing that I take away from all of this is that you want to change the direction of our country,' Mr. Perdue said at a victory party. 'I think Georgia has made it loud and clear tonight that we want to stop the failed policies of this administration and Harry Reid,' a reference to the Senate's Democratic leader.

Both races had been close for months, offering rare glimmers of hope for Democrats in the Deep South. Many observers, noting tight poll numbers, predicted that the races would go to a runoff. And while the runoff scenario would probably have favored Republicans - who have won all five statewide general-election runoffs here since 1992 - it would have signaled that Democrats could once again be competitive in a state that has moved decisively in the Republicans' favor in recent years.

The Senate seat came open after Senator Saxby Chambliss, a Republican, announced his retirement after two terms.

Mr. Perdue had emerged from a crowded primary field, calming Republican fears that a candidate too far to his right would be vulnerable to a centrist Democrat like Ms. Nunn.

Her centrist credentials were burnished by support from a number of Atlanta-area business executives. In July, however, her campaign was embarrassed by the release of an internal memo with a list of her perceived liabilities, including the idea that she would be attacked for being 'too liberal' and 'not a 'real' Georgian.'

Mr. Perdue used the document in television ads, including one claiming that the memo said she had 'funded organizations linked to terrorists.' Ms. Nunn released her own ad calling the allegation 'a terrible lie.'

Later, she attacked Mr. Perdue over revelations that he once bragged about outsourcing - a potent topic in a state with the nation's highest unemployment rate.

Mr. Carter also sought to portray himself as a centrist. His Republican opponent was Nathan Deal, a former congressman seeking a second term as governor. Mr. Deal, 72, emphasized policies that he said had made Georgia more business-friendly. But the unemployment numbers left him vulnerable to attacks on his economic record.

Mr. Carter's famous grandfather stayed out of the spotlight for much of the campaign, probably because he is considered too far to the left by many white Georgians, who have moved from the Democratic to the Republican Party in recent decades. Still, he was regularly deployed in more intimate settings to raise money for his grandson.

The younger Mr. Carter regularly attacked Mr. Deal over ethics issues connected to his 2010 campaign. But more frequently, the challenger emphasized tight education budgets that have resulted in shorter school calendars and larger class sizes.

Mr. Deal criticized Mr. Carter as inexperienced, and released ads saying his ideas would necessitate large tax increases.