Funding comes in fast and plentiful for Dem in Georgia
House runoff may be early indicator of how Trump’s tenure fares
Georgia DemoWASHINGTON crat Jon Ossoff raised $15 million in two months for a House special election viewed by many Democrats as a referendum on President Trump and his policies.
Ossoff has collected more than $23 million in the hardfought battle for Georgia’s 6th District, having previously raised $8.3 million during the first phase of the campaign. The race, which once saw 18 candidates vying for the open seat, has shattered fundraising records as Democrats race to fill Ossoff ’s coffers and outside groups spend heavily to shape the contest.
Republican Karen Handel, Ossoff ’s opponent in the runoff June 20, had not released her fundraising numbers as of early Thursday afternoon. Handel is Georgia’s former secretary of State; Ossoff, 30, a political neophyte, is a documentary filmmaker and former congressional staffer.
The suburban Atlanta district has sent Republicans to Congress for nearly four decades, but Trump won the district by less than 2 percentage points last year, raising Democrats’ hopes of flipping the seat. National Republican groups have poured millions into advertising to boost Handel, and Vice President Pence was slated to stump for Handel on Friday.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price gave up the seat to join Trump’s Cabinet. The Atlanta Journal Constitution first reported Ossoff ’s fundraising totals.