Perdue wins Republican Senate runoff in Georgia – The Washington Post

Former Dollar General CEO David Perdue won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Georgia on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Jack Kingston in a close race that went down to the wire.

Perdue will now face Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn in what’s expected to be a closely watched race both parties are expected to contest. They will compete for the seat of retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R).

Republicans need to gain six seats to win the Senate majority. Democrats, defending many more competitive seats, view Georgia as one of their two best pickup opportunities, along with Kentucky.

With nearly all of the vote tallied, Perdue led Kingston 51 percent to 49 percent.

The outcome is a blow to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which made a sizable investment on behalf of Kingston. The nation’s largest business organization had been on a hot streak. It supported Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who each defeated challengers backed by national tea party groups earlier this year.

Tea party groups stayed on the sidelines in the Kingston-Perdue showdown. Neither candidate pitched himself as a tea party hero.

via Perdue wins Republican Senate runoff in Georgia – The Washington Post.