Biography:

John Nathan Deal was born in Millen, Ga., the son of two school teachers. He lives in Gainesville, Ga. Deal received a bachelor's degree from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., in 1964 and a law degree from Mercer in 1966.

He served a two-year Army tour, which ended in 1968, as a captain in the Judge Advocates General Corps. After his discharge, Deal moved to Gainesville to practice law.

He was assistant district attorney for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit, which includes Gainesville, from 1970 to 1971, and judge of the Juvenile Court of Hall County from 1971 to 1972. Elected to the state senate in 1980, Deal was unopposed in subsequent election years.

He was elected president pro tempore of the Senate in 1991. In that position, Deal presided over the Senate when the lieutenant governor was not on the floor. He also was a member of the legislative conference committee appointed to reconcile House-Senate budget differences.

He was first elected to the U.S. House as a Democrat in 1992, but switched political parties and became a Republican in 1995.

He and his wife, Sandra, have four children.

Past Campaigns:

Nathan Deal was elected to the U.S. House in 1992 with 59 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Daniel Becker. He was re-elected in 1994 with 58 percent, defeating Republican Robert Castello.

Deal switched parties in 1995 and became a Republican. He was re-elected in 1996 with 65 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Ken Poston. He won re-election in 1998 without opposition. He won re-election in the 2000 race against Democrat James Harrington Jr., with 75 percent of the vote.

He ran unopposed in 2002.

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