This story will be updated as developments warrant.
Chambliss said it will likely be this weekend before the final tally will be known in his re-election bid.
"We had a topsy-turvy night in terms of the vote," Chambliss said. "Right now, we have 49.99 percent of the vote, but as of this morning we are in full runoff mode," he said.
Chambliss differs with his Democratic opponent on the number of ballots outstanding, saying there are "only a few thousand." He said that if he had an additional 4,000 votes, the race would be over.
Chambliss said while it is early, the campaign plans to invite surrogates to campaign for him, mentioning Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who lost the presidential race. Others named included former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Earlier in the day, Martin told a telephone news conference on Wednesday that he was confident he would be in a Dec. 2 runoff with Chambliss, a Moultrie Republican.
"We're in a runoff," Martin said, adding that his campaign staff believes there are about 200,000 ballots, mostly absentee, that have not been counted and most of those will fall to him.
He predicted it would be next week before the election results are certified, officially setting up the runoff.
Martin said his campaign has been in contact with the campaign staff of President-elect Barack Obama, but said it was too early to say if Obama would be coming to Georgia to campaign for him.
Late last night, state elections officials said early voting from Fulton and Gwinnett counties had yet to be counted. Early voting numbers in those two counties alone totaled more than 275,000 votes.
In Hall County, Chambliss topped Martin by a vote of 39,502 to 15,231 in incomplete returns.
Philip Wilheit, a Gainesville civic leader and longtime Chambliss supporter, was pleased with the first-term Republican's showing here.
"I'm pleased with the results," Wilheit said, adding that he was optimistic that Chambliss could hold on to his lead and be re-elected without a runoff.
He said the race was much closer than had been expected after the economic crisis that happened late in the campaign.
"I think part of it was what they keep referring to as the ‘Bailout Bill.' I wish they would call it anything else. It was a recovery bill in my mind," Wilheit said.
Chambliss was criticized for his vote for the $700 billion plan, just weeks before the election.
Hall County Democratic Party Chairman Abb Hayes said he had been hoping for a closer race.
"There was hope of at least a runoff and hope from there of capturing a victory for Jim Martin," Hayes said.
Both Chambliss and Martin brought statewide bus tours through Gainesville on the final days of campaigning.
Under Georgia law, a general election candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote.
The law was changed to 45 percent by Democrats in 1993 after the 1992 loss by U.S. Sen. Wyche Fowler, D-Ga., in a runoff to Republican Paul Coverdell. Republicans in the General Assembly restored the 50 percent law in 2006.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.