Nathan Deal REPRepublican

John Nathan Deal (born August 25, 1942) is an American Republican politician who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019 and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until 2010. Previously he had served as a member of the Georgia State Senate 1981 to 1993 as a Democrat. In 2010, Deal resigned from Congress to run for governor of Georgia in the upcoming election. Deal faced a crowded field of candidates in the Republican primary election, ultimately facing former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel in a tightly contested primary runoff election, and won by fewer than 2,500 votes. The following day, Handel declined to pursue a recount and conceded. In the general election, Deal defeated the Democratic opponent, former governor Roy Barnes, and succeeded term-limited Sonny Perdue in 2011. He won his re-election campaign for governor in 2014 against Democrat Jason Carter. Deal came to prominence in 2014 when he signed into law the Safe Carry Protection Act, known by critics as the "Guns Everywhere Law", which allows residents with a permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring firearms into most public areas, including churches, school zones, government buildings and certain sections of airports. He was barred by term limits in 2018 and was succeeded by outgoing Secretary of State Brian Kemp.