In his 4 years in the White House, President Carter worked to make the Federal Government more competent and compassionate and more responsive to the American people.

He won five counties with a majority including his home of Hall (64%) Dade (56%) Walker (55%) White (53%) and Stephens (53%). Deal was handily re-elected in his first election as a Republican in the 1996 General Election even though Jenkins endorsed his Democratic opponent attorney McCracken "Ken" Poston. S.

The following day Handel declined to pursue a recount and conceded. On November 2 Democratic opponent Roy Barnes called to concede the race for governor of Georgia making Deal the governor-elect to succeed term-limited Sonny Perdue in 2011.