The race for Rep. Nathan Deal's (R-Ga.) House seat will go to a June 8 runoff after none of the eight candidates in Tuesday's special election were able to capture a majority of the vote.

Deal resigned in March to focus on his run for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Tuesday's result could be considered a major show of electoral strength by the Tea Party movement.

Atlanta tea-party groups and the Club for Growth backed former state Rep. Tom Graves (R), who led with 34.1 percent of the vote with 89 percent of precincts reporting. His closest competitor, ex-state Sen. Lee Hawkins, will join him in he runoff. Hawkins pulled in 23.7 percent of the vote. Both men were also the fundraising leaders in the short race.

Businessman Steve Tarvin (R) was third with 16.1 percent of the vote.

The winner of the June runoff will serve out Deal's existing term, but still have to secure the nomination in the July 20 primary. The district is solidly Republican and isn't considered a pick up opportunity for Democrats. The lone Dem in the special election, Mike Freeman, pulled in some 6 percent of the vote.

President Obama's job approval rating hit 50 percent for the first time since October in a new Public Policy Polling national survey conducted May 7-9.

While 46 percent of registered voters disapprove of the president, he remains popular within his own party. Obama has an 83 percent approval rating among Democrats.

Republicans remain steadfastly opposed to his agenda -- only 14 percent approve of his handling of the job. Meanwhile, Independents are almost evenly divided on his presidency.

PPP's Tom Jensen writes: "If Obama's numbers stay in this range he probably won't give Democratic candidates a big assist this fall, but he won't be a huge liability either."

In the meantime though, candidates in Democratic primaries are trying to embrace the president as closely as possible.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) is not ruling out an independent run for his Senate seat.

Bennett was defeated on Saturday at the Utah Republican Convention, finishing third to rivals Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater, who will fight for the Republican nomination in a June 22nd runoff.

Bennett has the option to run as a write-in candidate, and suggested Tuesday he wasn't closing the door on any of his choices.

"We've made the firm decision not to make any decisions as to what I do from now on until we have a little time to think about it," he told reporters.

But he can't count on the Republican Party to help him.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said the NRSC won't support a write-in effort by Bennett.

Cornyn said the NRSC would support instead whichever nominee is selected by Utah's Republican voters.

Cornyn said as a rule, the NRSC doesn't support independent bids.

"We'll support the Republican nominee," Cornyn said. "That's what we do. We're not going to support any independent candidates."

When asked about Bennett, Cornyn slowly shook his head no.

"He's got a very stellar record, one he should be very proud of," Cornyn said. "These are not lifetime jobs or entitlements. They're subject to the revocation of the voters, and the voters are upset with what's happening in Washington and they've spoken. We'd all do well to take heed."

The NRSC criticized Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) when he decided to make an independent bid for the Senate.

Kentucky Senate candidate Trey Grayson (R) will be able to trumpet the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during the final week of the primary campaign. His campaign announced Tuesday it had the backing of the influential business group.

The Chamber said it was Grayson's support of "pro-business issues" that got him its nod.

"If I'm elected I will fight for a balanced budget and economic policies that will free small businesses and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses, innovate and create jobs," Grayson said in a statement.

He also was endorsed last week by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

Grayson faces Dr. Rand Paul in the May 18 GOP Senate primary.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he'll think about having Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) campaign for him.

McCain said Tuesday he hasn't thought of asking Lieberman to join him in Arizona as he faces a GOP primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth. Lieberman famously endorsed McCain for president in 2008 — a decision that disappointed many Democrats -- and McCain recently reached out to his running mate, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to appear with him at events in Arizona.

"I haven't thought about it, but I'll think about it," McCain said. "He's a dear friend and I love to spend time with him."

Lieberman, who involves himself sparingly in primaries around the country, indicated he was wary of the idea, at least until after McCain's primary.

"He's in a primary now, so I don't know if I could help him," he said.

When asked about campaigning with McCain during the general election, Lieberman said, "I don't know."

Strategist Mike DuHaime has been hired by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to direct it’s independent expenditures arm during the 2010 cycle.

"Mike DuHaime has an enormous amount of campaign experience and political expertise, and he will serve as an invaluable resource directing this important component of the NRSC's operation during the 2010 midterms," Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said in a statement.

DuHaime recently had success as the chief architect of New Jersey Gov Chris Christie's (R) 2009 defeat of Jon Corzine. He's also held positions with the Republican National Committee and President Bush's 2004 reelection campaign, among others.

The New Jersey native has also had his share of failures. He was Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign manager in 2008, when the former New York City mayor focused his resources on winning Florida's GOP primary. The strategy failed and Giuliani subsequently quit the race.

Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday morning would not say if President Barack Obama would hit the trail for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), but the president isn't completely absent from the campaign.

Specter came out with a new campaign ad Tuesday that features a past Obama campaign speech on his behalf.

The Republican-turned-Democrat faces a tough primary challenge from Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), who has taken a lead in some polls. Voters head to the booths next week to select a Democratic nominee.

The president has endorsed Specter, who helped Democrats gain a 60-vote super-majority in the Senate for a time. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the previous presidential nominee for the Democrats, was the latest high-profile Democrat to back his Pennsylvania colleague Monday.

Obama has made big campaign stops for losing Democratic candidates before, such as Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who lost to Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, who Chris Christie (R) booted from office last year.

VIDEO

Cross-posted to the Briefing Room

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) may want to watch his back.

A few days after Hatch's colleague Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) was knocked out in the GOP primary, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is hinting he may take on Hatch in 2012.

"It's a possibility, I'm not taking anything off the table," Chaffetz told Fox News. "This anti-incumbent sentiment is a tsunami that isn't going away....I respect everything Senator Hatch has done, but the question is whether 36 years in the U.S. senate might be enough. Orrin will be 78 in 2012."

As Bob Bennett knows all too well,  the Utah GOP primary process gives conservative activists the ability to pick a nominee at their state convention without putting the question to voters. 

Bennett's biggest sin among conservatives was voting for the bailout. Hatch also voted "yea."

And Chaffetz has experience in taking down incumbents. He defeated then-Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) in the 2008 Republican primary.

Meanwhile, Hatch didn't seem too worried about a Chaffetz challenge.

"He has the right to if he wants to," Hatch told The Blog Briefing Room. "He won't be the first person to challenge me."

"I'm one of the hardest workers you'll ever find," Hatch added. "And I intend to run again, if feel healthy enough to do it. If I can do the same work I'm doing now, [Utah Republicans] are going to want me. They're going to need me, and most people know that."

-- This post was updated at 11:13 a.m. and 1:59 p.m.

Chicago Public Radio wonders if Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (D) was too eager to express his support for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Giannoulias' opponent, hedged Monday when asked about Kagan's appointment.

"I don't think that we should come to a view right away," Kirk said. "Because the confirmation hearings are very important. And we should hold the confirmation hearings. We shouldn't skip them." Kirk's comments came shortly after Giannoulias "applauded" President Obama's selection.

Giannoulias: "And I encourage the Senate to act swiftly, fairly and judiciously toward her confirmation."

Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees occasionally offer surprises and if Kagan turns out to be a political liability, it may reverberate through the midterm elections.

Meanwhile in Illinois, Green Party nominee LeAlan Jones said it's too early in the process to say how he'd vote if he were in the Senate.