Republican Tom Graves Elected to U.S. House in Georgia Runoff

ATLANTA (AP) -- Republican Tom Graves has been elected to the U.S. House in a special election runoff in north Georgia.

With 67 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial returns show Graves with 59 percent of the vote, defeating fellow Republican Lee Hawkins with 41 percent.

The 40-year-old Graves will fill the remainder of Nathan Deal's term. Deal stepped down earlier this year to seek the Republican nomination for Georgia governor.

Graves ran with support from the Atlanta Tea Party Patriots, the anti-tax group Club for Growth and Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the U.S. House.

He'll need to hit the campaign trail again almost immediately. A July 20 primary will select the GOP nominee for a full two-year term in the House.

The 9th congressional district covers 15 counties in northwest Georgia.