Last updated on December 24th, 2018 at 06:59 am
Nathan Deal is the incumbent Governor of Georgia who took the office on January 10, 2011, as the successor of Sonny Perdue. Previously, he was a Member of the US House of Representatives (1993 – 2010) and Member of the Georgia Senate (1981 – 1993).
Early Life and Education
John Nathan Deal was born on August 25, 1942, to mother Mary and father Noah Jordan. Brought up on a farm in Sandersville, Deal attended a local high school and joined Mercer University for a degree in law. later, he also received a JD from the same university.
Personal Life
74-year-old Nathan Deal is married to 75-year-old Sandra Dungan. The couple has been married since 1966 and has four children: Katie, Carrie, Mary and Jason Deal.
Today @GAFirstLady and I were joined by Georgians from all walks of life for the lighting of the Christmas tree at the State Capitol. This season brings out the best in all of us as we gather to celebrate the greatest gift that came into the world so many Christmas nights ago. pic.twitter.com/izQO6eAns6
— Governor Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) December 4, 2018
Career
Graduating from the Mercer University, Nathan Deal joined the US Army and went up to the rank of captain before terminating service in 1968. Then, he entered the law practice world, working at various positions, including criminal prosecutor, county court judge and superior court judge. In 1980, Deal departed from the legal world to join Georgia Senate as a Democrat Senator. As a successor of Jane Hemmer, Deal stayed in the office until January 3, 1993.
Leaving the Georgia Senate, Nathan Deal entered the national politics by succeeding Ed Jenkins in the US House of Representatives, or Congress in 1993. Having completed his first two-year term successfully, Deal was re-elected for a second term in 1994. Thereafter, Deal remained in the office until March 21, 2010. Interestingly, Nathan Deal represented Georgia’s 10th district from 2003 to 2007 and 9th district from 1993 to 2003 and 2007 to 2010.
As a member of the US House of Representatives, Nathan Deal pushed for Georgia’s progress on energy, commerce, and health care reform. He also helped formulate the Citizenship Reform Act as the 14th amendment. Throughout his time at the Congress, Deal opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and several other Obama policies.
Resigning from the office of US House of Representatives, Nathan Deal decided to run for the 2010 gubernatorial election as a Republican. In the primary gubernatorial election, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal won 34.1% and 22.9% votes respectively. Hence, a runoff election was held whereby Deal received the Republican nomination with a narrow win by 0.2% votes. In the final gubernatorial election, Deal faced Democrat Roy Barnes and Libertarian John Monds. Although John wasn’t a very strong candidate, Roy received 42.97% votes, leaving Deal at a margin of 53.02% votes. Deal assumed the office on Sonny Perdue on January 10, 2011.
Second election
Nathan Deal also ran for a second term as Governor of Georgia in the 2014 gubernatorial election. He easily won the Republican nomination with 72.15% votes and joined the Democrat opponent Jason Carter in 2014 gubernatorial election. Deal won the election with 52.75% votes in favor, while Carter received 44.89% votes. In the same way, Libertarian Andrew Hunt remained well below the two top candidates with 2.36% votes.
As Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal imposed strict laws on illegal immigration and signed HB 87 law which augments state enforcement powers. Likewise, Deal brought out a new law called the Safe Carry Protection Act which allows carrying guns to public places. Although some see this law as a perfect way of addressing weapon right, many have called it ‘Guns Everywhere’ law. Following 2015 Paris Attacks, Deal decided to not to accept any Syrian refugees for resettlement in Georgia State. Above all, one of Deal’s most significant works is his criminal and justice reforms to slow down the criminal justice crisis.
Trump and Deal
As Republicans, Deal and Donald Trump agree on a lot of fronts. For instance, both Deal and Trump strongly oppose Obamacare and immigration. Likewise, the two believe in the 2nd amendment and advocate for voter’s rights for gun ownership.
