Home > Election Day > Archives > 2006 > November > 07 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHandel Ahead in Secretary of State race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fulton County Commission Chairwoman Karen Handel appeared headed late Tuesday toward becoming the first Republican secretary of state since 1873.
Handel, 44, of Roswell emerged from a bitterly fought primary to lead her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Gail Buckner, 56, of Jonesboro. Libertarian candidate Kevin Madsen, 34, of Loganville finished a distant third.
Handel said shortly after 11 p.m. she was “cautiously optimistic” about her lead.
“I really think that people looked at my background and my skills and experience and looked at the job and viewed the campaign as a bit of a job interview,” Handel said. “I clearly have the right background and the right skills to do the job of secretary of state.”
Handel’s rise to power has been swift. She was elected to the Fulton County Commission in 2003. Prior to that, Handel was deputy chief of staff to Gov. Sonny Perdue.
Handel, who never graduated from college, also served as CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and held governmental affairs and communications posts with eye care manufacturer Ciba Vision, accounting firm KPMG and Hallmark cards.
Republicans now have an ally in another key position at the Capitol. Her close relationship with Perdue means she probably won’t encounter the same problems pushing an agenda as her Democratic predecessor, Cathy Cox.
Handel will play a major role in deciding what kind of voting platform the state will use in the future. During her campaign, she pledged to support a voter-verified paper audit trail for the state’s electronic voting machines. Cost estimates for paper trails range from $19.5 million to $75 million, depending on the technology selected.
Handel said Tuesday one of her first priorities upon taking office would be a close look at electronic voting.“With so much swirling out there about the integrity of the electronic voting machines, I’m going to bring in an independent technology team to do a security analysis of the hardware, the software and the processes,” she said.
Handel raised more than $1 million for her campaign. She was backed by many of the state’s influential corporations, lawyers and developers. The financial edge enabled her to launch a television ad campaign in the final days of the race. Buckner managed to raise only $412,336, more than half of which she lent herself. She spent much of the money surviving a crowded Democratic primary that fielded six candidates.
In an interview on WSB-TV shortly before 11:30 p.m., Buckner declined to concede defeat. “I know there’s still a lot of Democratic votes in Fulton County,” she said.
About half of Fulton’s votes had not been counted, but Handel is expected to do well there, particularly on the Northside, where she lives.
In addition to overseeing elections, the office has responsibility for the licensing of 64 trades and professions, the registration of corporations and nonprofit groups, and the regulation of investment advisers. It has about 400 employees and an annual budget of nearly $36 million.
The office has gained cachet in recent years as election controversies have catapulted secretaries of state into the spotlight nationwide. Some have used the office as a stepping stone to higher office. Max Cleland, secretary of state from 1983 to 1996, later was elected to the U.S. Senate. But Cox and Lewis Massey, who filled Cleland’s unexpired term through 1998, were unsuccessful in their quests for the governor’s office.
Handel survived a primary challenge from state Sen. Bill Stephens (R-Canton), who aggressively attacked her, calling her a liberal who supported abortion and gay rights. Handel defeated Stephens in a runoff. The general election, by comparison, was a sedate affair. Neither Handel nor Buckner lobbed any major bombs.
In the final days of the campaign, Buckner criticized Handel’s campaign fund-raising, alleging that she took contributions from engineers, developers, real estate firms and others doing business with the county. Handel’s campaign dismissed the charges, saying the contributions were legal and necessary to counter Buckner’s use of her own money to fund her campaign.
Permalink | | Categories: Sec. of State
Services »