Sonny Perdue's legacy was written on two election nights.

In 2002 he entered the history books as Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction. This Nov. 2, Georgia voters went to the polls and effectively validated GOP rule, ushering in a Republican state government.

Through a combination of luck and design, Perdue — once a Democrat — found himself riding the crest of a Republican wave that has transformed Georgia into one of the more conservative states in the nation.

As Perdue prepares to hand over the governor's office to Nathan Deal, the Democrats will not a hold single statewide elected office come January and have seen their numbers plummet in the state Legislature.