ATLANTA — Republican John McCain implored Georgia voters Thursday to support Sen. Saxby Chambliss in next month’s runoff, saying that Democrats will increase taxes and cut defense spending and that the Republican Party needs to strengthen its ranks.
“I didn’t think I’d be back on the campaign trail quite this early,” McCain told about 1,500 people in his first political appearance since losing the presidential election to Barack Obama last week. “But there is a lot at stake here. . . . I’m asking you to go into battle one more time.”
Chambliss faces a Dec. 2 rematch with Democrat Jim Martin. Georgia’s election results were certified Thursday, and the final tallies show Chambliss with 49.8 percent of the vote. Martin earned 46.8 percent, and Libertarian Allen Buckley, also in the race, pulled 3.4 percent. In addition to Georgia, Senate races in Minnesota and Alaska remain unresolved. The Associated Press
