ATLANTA (AP) Businessman David Perdue has defeated longtime Rep. Jack Kingston in a Republican runoff for Georgia's U.S. Senate nomination, setting up a general election matchup against Democrat Michelle Nunn. <br />
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On Tuesday night, unofficial returns showed Perdue with a lead of more than 6,000 votes, with about 93 percent of precincts reporting. <br />
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Perdue is a former corporate CEO making his first bid for public office. He campaigned as an outsider and called Kingston a career politician who has done little to solve the nation's problems. <br />
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Kingston is an 11-term congressman from Savannah. <br />
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The Perdue-Nunn race will be one of the most critical matchups of the November midterm elections. <br />
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Republicans need six more seats to win Senate control for the final two years of President Barack Obama's administration. The GOP cannot afford to lose Chambliss' seat.