SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Republican Karen Handel is projected to win Georgia’s special House election, dealing a major blow to Democrats who were hoping to score an early win against President Trump ahead of the 2018 midterms.
Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in what had become the most expensive House race in history.
Republicans could tout the victory as evidence that backlash to Trump won’t win the House for Democrats.
Georgia’s suburban Atlanta district has been a Republican stronghold for decades, with former Speaker Newt Gingrich among the prominent politicians who have held the seat. Voters in the district repeatedly reelected Tom Price, whose appointment to be Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary brought on the special election.
While the district has a history of Republican representatives, Trump only won the district by less than 2 points in 2016. That drop in GOP presidential enthusiasm made the seat a prime target for Democrats.Handel’s victory caps off a fiercely fought race that inundated the suburban Atlanta airwaves with attack ads. The total spending is estimated to be a record-breaking $60 million.
Republicans sought to frame Ossoff as a rubber stamp for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) agenda, attacking him for his huge amount of out-of-state campaign contributions. The GOP has also repeatedly accused Ossoff of inflating his national security credentials.
They also tarred Ossoff as a carpetbagger who lives outside the district, though he grew up in the district and plans to move back from his home near the district when his fiancee finishes up medical school.
Meanwhile, Democrats tried to paint Handel as a career politician with ties to Trump and the White House. They also focused on her tenure at Susan G. Komen Foundation, which she resigned from after attempting to cut the anti-cancer organization’s funding for Planned Parenthood.
Tuesday’s victory marks a political comeback for Handel, a former Georgia secretary of State who had launched unsuccessful runs for governor and Senate. Handel was boosted by a campaign appearance from Vice President Pence, as well as tweets and a robocall from Trump.
Handel’s victory means Democrats were unable to win any of the special elections to replace Trump’s Cabinet members. Democrats had surprisingly strong showings in Kansas and Montana, but ultimately fell short in those races as well.
South Carolina is also holding its special election on Tuesday, but Republicans are expected to hold the GOP-trending seat.
Handel will serve out the rest of Price’s term, which ends in 2018.
