Karen Handel
From Ballotpedia
| Karen Handel | |
 | |
| Georgia Secretary of State | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2006 | |
| Current term ends 2010 | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Website | Official Georgia Secretary of State website |
Contents |
Political career
Handel served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice President Dan Quayle's wife, Marilyn, in 1989 promoting breast cancer awareness. It was during this time that initiatives like October becoming National Breast Cancer Month, the National Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was established, federal funding for breast cancer research was increased, and the Office of Research on Women's Health was established at the National Institute of Health.
She served as President and CEO of the Greater Fulton County Chamber of Commerce, where she was directly responsible for working with state, local, national and international organizations to bring job growth to north Fulton County. During her tenure, Handel discovered that the GNDC Chamber was near fiscal insolvency after an employee was found to have embezzled nearly all of the chamber's funds, and successfully managed the once-troubled organization through financial turbulence
In 2002, she was named Deputy Chief of Staff in the administration of Governor Sonny Perdue, where she served as a policy advisor and supervisor of constituent services, the Governor's Mansion, and general administration services.
Handel was elected by the public in a special election held in November 2003 to replace Mike Kenn as Chairman of the Fulton County Commission. She received both state and national media attention for exposing corruption within the sheriff's department that, in turn, led to the incumbent sheriff's resignation. It was also during her tenure that she was able to pass the strongest county government ethic policies in the state.
Undoubtedly due to potential ethical questions regarding her role as chief election official while simultaneously running for the governorship, Handel announced in late-December 2009 that she would resign as Secretary of State. [2]
Campaign contributions
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,163,650 | |||
| Total Raised by Primary Opponent | $946,640 | |||
| Total Raised by Gen. Election Opponent | $463,700 | |||
| Top 5 Contributors | George Berkow Inc. $13,000 (1.12% of Total) | |||
| David Shafer Senate Committee. $12,000 (1.03%) | ||||
| The Loose Group $10,000 (0.86%) | ||||
| Roberts Properties Residential $10,000 (0.86%) | ||||
| Fourth Quarter Properties XII $10,000 (0.86%) | ||||
| Individuals v. Institutions | $621,693 (53.4%) | |||
| $427,970 (36.8%) | ||||
| In v. Outside State | $1,107,903 (95.2%) | |||
| $55,747 (4.8%) | ||||
Electoral history
2006
| State Government |
|---|
|
| State officials |
| State legislatures |
| Elections, 2010 |
| Primary election dates, 2010 |
| Find your state |
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary [3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Handel (R)
| 43.6% [4] | |||
| Stephens (R) | 32.6% | |||
| Bailey (R) | 13.8% | |||
| Martin (R) | 10.0% | |||
| Total votes | 368,439 | |||
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary Run-Off [5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Handel (R)
| 56.6% | |||
| Stephens (R) | 43.4% | |||
| Total votes | 171,129 | |||
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [6] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Handel (R)
| 54.1% | |||
| Buckner (D) | 41.8% | |||
| Madsen (Libertarian) | 4.1% | |||
| Total votes | 2,063,298 | |||
External links
- Karen Handel's Facebook profile
- Karen Handel's Twitter account
- Karen Handel for Governor of Georgia Campaign website
- Karen Handel for Governor of Georgia Facebook profile
- Project Vote Smart - Karen Handel biography
References
- ↑ Fresh Loaf "Karen Handel enters governor’s race" 27 March, 2009
- ↑ Red State "Karen Handel Aims to Win the GOP Gubernatorial Nomination in Georgia" 22 Dec. 2009
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 2006 Republican Primary Election Results
- ↑ Even though Karen Handel received the most votes, she failed to receive over fifty percent of those votes required by Georgia state law. A run-off election between the top two vote recipients, therefore, was required to decide who went on to the general election.
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 2006 Republican Primary Run-Off Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 2006 General Election Results
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cathy Cox | Georgia Secretary of State 2007–2010 | Succeeded by Brian Kemp |
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