USA TODAY International Edition
Handel wins most expensive congressional race in history
In Ga., Republican beats Ossoff for seat Dems hoped to flip
WASHINGTON Republican Karen Handel has won Georgia’s congressional race, according to CNN and NBC.
Georgia’s 6th District has been conservative red for almost 40 years, but Democrats hoped that the seat — which represents wealthy Atlanta suburbs — would be the first indication of a trend that they could take over the House of Representatives in midterm elections in 2018.
Democrat Jon Ossoff, 30, a documentary filmmaker and former congressional aide, ran against former Georgia secretary of State Karen Handel, a Republican.
Leading up to the election, polls gave Ossoff a slight edge, and turnout was critical in the toss- up race.
Georgia doesn’t often have competitive congressional races. Out of the past 69 races since 2008, just one was decided by less than 5 percentage points, according to an analysis by Smart Politics.
Tuesday night in South Carolina, Republican Ralph Norman won the special election to replace Mick Mulvaney who became the head of the Office of Management and Budget, according to the Associated Press. Norman’s win over Democrat
Archie Parnell made it the third special election where Democrats failed to capture a Republican seat this year. The South Carolina race was expected to go for Nor- man and received far less attention than Georgia’s, but the race turned out to be closer than expected.
Early results in Georgia bore out the predictions of a tight race as the lead shifted back and forth between Handel and Ossoff.
A record- breaking $ 23 million poured in for Ossoff. Handel had not released her most recent fundraising numbers.
Multiple analyses put the race at more than $ 50 million in total, including spending from outside groups.
Ossoff benefited from the support of more than 11,000 volunteers, according to his campaign.
In particular, suburban women who said they were frustrated by the results of the 2016 election volunteered. One mom told USA TODAY she knocked on more than 1,500 doors to try to convince people to vote for Ossoff.
Handel, who has run for both the Governor’s Mansion and the Senate, had a series of high- profile supporters such as Vice President Pence and former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue campaigning in the district.
President Trump helped raise funds on her behalf and gave his support on Twitter.
Ossoff grew up in the district but does not live there. He lives near Emory University while his fiancée finishes medical school. Ossoff told USA TODAY the issue doesn’t matter to voters, and he is “proud to support her career even if I take some heat for it.”
Republicans made the issue central to their campaign. Tuesday morning when Handel cast her vote, she said, “He wishes he could vote like me, because he doesn’t live in the district,” according to The Hill.