MARIETTA - Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal stopped in Cobb on Saturday morning during his final campaign swing around the state before Tuesday's GOP runoff against Karen Handel.

Deal addressed the Cobb County Republican Party's monthly breakfast at Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q on Roswell Road in Marietta. He spoke little about his opponent directly and didn't mention her by name, but instead, stressed why he believes he's the better candidate to take on Democratic nominee Roy Barnes in the November general election.

Handel spoke to a crowd on Friday in Marietta Square, which included supporters Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin, Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews and U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell). She was invited to the breakfast but her campaign said she was unable to attend.

Statewide, Handel received 34 percent of the vote and Deal garnered 22.9 percent in the crowded seven-candidate primary on July 20. But in Cobb, Handel - who resides in nearby Roswell - topped the field handedly with 41 percent, or 24,799 votes, compared to Deal's 19.9 percent, or 12,050 votes.

Nevertheless, the former congressman from Gainesville said he expects to do well in Cobb. He hopes to win over those voters who supported former state Sen. Eric Johnson and state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine in the primary.

"We've been very fortunate to have most of the major grassroots organization of both the Oxendine and the Johnson campaign, who have uniformly come across and are working with my people here in Cobb County," Deal said.

"To have the support of people like your sheriff and others, I think, means a great deal because people have confidence in these individuals and they have confidence in their judgment when they endorse me."

Political wisdom has it that endorsements matter little during elections. However, Deal and Handel have been in a battle over Republican endorsements, which have spread nationally.

Deal will appear with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to receive his public endorsement at a rally this afternoonat the Gainesville Civic Center. Handel will receive the public endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a rally in Atlanta on Monday.

In a not too subtle swipe at Handel's support by Palin, Deal said endorsements only count when a candidate knows the person he or she is being endorsed by and has experience working with.

"Gov. Mike Huckabee and I worked together in 2005 on major reforms that helped save our taxpayers billions of dollars," Deal said. "So we know each other on a working basis. The same of course is true for Speaker Newt Gingrich, with whom I served in Congress, who has endorsed my candidacy."

Deal also claims the support of roughly 67 percent of Republican General Assembly members and a majority of Georgia Republican congressmen, including Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) who was at the breakfast.

"The fact that members of the General Assembly and sheriffs all across this state, as well as other elected officials, are willing to endorse my candidacy means that they have looked at my record," Deal said.

"They want somebody who is a known quantity. Somebody who they can depend on to make steady judgments and support them as they try to do the jobs that they've been elected to do."

Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren, who attended the breakfast, said he gave a lot of thought to endorsing Deal. His tough stance against illegal immigration before it became a hot topic among conservatives was a major consideration, Warren said.

"I just feel he is the right man for the job, not only on the immigration issue, but for public safety as a whole," Warren said. "I think he understands the issue of the overcrowded jail conditions in the state of Georgia and I think he'll make the commitment to help take care of the overcrowded jail conditions in county government."

Deal's campaign reported Friday that it raised just over $1 million between July 1 and Wednesday. Handel's campaign reported raising more than $960,000 during that same period. Campaign finance reports show that much of both campaigns' expenditures were in advertising and media consulting.

The runoff election has not been without its share of harsh campaign ads from both campaigns. But Deal asserted that Handel "has taken negative campaigning to an all-time low." He said he has used factual information in his ads and that voters will reject the Handel campaign's "negativity" at the polls.

"I think we should ask the question: Who is the one who'll best exemplify what you want in the next governor of the state of Georgia," Deal told the GOP breakfast audience.

"Who has the credentials by way of service, by way of experience and by way of temperament to be able to lead this state forward? I suggest to you that I do have those qualities, and that is not in anyway to be derogatory about my opponent. But you have to make choices about who is best determined to be the one to fit those criteria."