The Center for Immigration Studies found that illegal immigrants cost the United States taxpayer about $10.4 billion a year. A large part of that expense stems from the babies born each year to illegal immigrants.

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.