Handel, Ossoff lament the spiraling cost of their race

Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel have split over pretty much every big policy divide in Georgia’s 6th District race. And they had very different views over the spiraling costs of the race for the suburban Atlanta seat — now the most expensive House election in U.S. history.

“It’s a shame that this is how we conduct democracy in America,” Ossoff said in an interview, “that the battle on the airwaves is so unrelenting it deprives the community of a clear sense of the debate.”

Handel’s campaign used the distinction to take a shot at the Democrat, who raised a record $8.3 million in his first reporting period, mostly from out-of-state donors.

“Of course it’s the most expensive race ever,” Handel spokesman Charlie Harper said. “It’s taken a lot of money raised from liberal friends of Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Act Blue and the Daily Kos to try to sell Georgia families on the idea that a career congressional staffer is a pragmatic moderate that cares about wasting taxpayer dollars. Georgia can’t afford for the liberals backing Jon Ossoff to get a return on their investment.”

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis shows that about $30 million has been spent over the past five months, including $15 million in the first leg of the 18-candidate race, $4 million spent since the April 18 vote and an additional $11 million in ad buys through the June 20 runoff.

That’s an unprecedented expenditure: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a transparency advocacy group, the most expensive House race was a 2012 Florida contest between Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West and Democrat Patrick Murphy that cost nearly $29.6 million.

Ossoff has laid out more than $10.7 million for airtime since he got in the race in January, including at least $5.2 million since finishing first in the April 18 vote (since this original report Wednesday, the total has grown to $6.6 million). Handel has spent just a fraction of that sum — she has yet to launch her first TV ad since the firstround vote — but she’s been backed by a trio of conservative groups pouring millions into the race.— GREG BLUESTEIN

Shaq for sheriff ?

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal said he’s aiming to run for sheriff — he didn’t say where — in 2020.

The 45-year-old told WXIA it’s not about politics but “bringing people closer together.” O’Neal has kept busy since retiring from the NBA in 2011 with appearances in films, TV shows and viral videos and as an analyst on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” which films in Atlanta.

He’s also carved out a lengthy record in law enforcement. In January 2015, he was sworn in as a reserve officer in the Doral Police Department in Florida. He’s also served as a reserve officer in Miami Beach, Tempe, Ariz., and the Port of Los Angeles. In December 2016 he became a sworn deputy in Clayton County.

The remarks came at a TV commercial for a home alarm company, and O’Neal is known for his tongue-and-cheek comments.

If he does jump in a race, he has a platform that could make him tough to beat: He owns a Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon and he sticks by a strict diet regimen.

He always eats dessert first.