ATLANTA, July 20 (UPI) -- Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes won the Democratic primary Tuesday but a runoff will be needed to decide the GOP nominee for governor, election returns indicate.
Barnes easily defeated the field in the Democratic primary, polling 64 percent with about 80 percent of precincts reporting, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.
No Republican candidate won an outright majority in the Republican primary, so the top two vote getters -- former Secretary of State Karen Handel and former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal -- are headed for an Aug. 10 runoff, the newspaper said.
Handel had 33 percent of the vote and Deal had 23 percent, with little change reported after about 10 percent of votes had been counted, the newspaper reported.
Polls had suggested state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine led the seven-candidate GOP field with 31 percent but he was running fourth in the GOP, early returns indicated.
Handel was endorsed by former Alaska Gov. -- and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee -- Sarah Palin. Deal won the endorsement of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Georgia will elect a new governor in November to succeed Sonny Perdue, who is retiring.
Sen. Johnny Isakson ran unopposed in the Republican primary and will stand for re-election in November against Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, the winner of Tuesday's Democratic Senate primary.
