Georgia: The Most Expensive House Race in U.S. History Comes Down to the Wire

News Staff : Jun 20, 2017
CBN News

The person elected will replace Tom Price, President Donald Trump's health secretary. Price won with 62 percent of the vote, while Trump won by less than 2 percentage points.

(Georgia)—[CBN News] The most expensive House election in U.S. history is down to the wire Tuesday in Georgia's sixth district. (Photo: Karen Handel, Jon Ossoff/via Patch.com)

Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff are going head-to-head, with Ossoff barely ahead of Handel in the primary runoff.

Ossoff, a former documentary filmmaker and congressional aide, has become a symbol of the anti-Trump movement.

"The campaign has built a coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans who want to send some fresh leadership to Washington, who want to focus on results rather than partisanship, who want to see a greater commitment to accountability," Ossoff told USA Today last week.

The race is reported to cost up to $50 million according to Politico.

Real Clear Politics polling data shows an extremely tight race, with Handel at 49 percent and Ossoff at 48 percent.

Handel's party has held the seat since 1979 and the Democratic Party is putting up a huge expensive fight to put a Democrat in the seat. It is a test of GOP strength early in President Donald Trump's presidency.

The outcome of the race would be a big blow for either side. With that in mind, Handel is seeking to cast her opponent as a dangerous unknown.

"No one knows who he is," Handel told USA Today. "He clearly was a handpicked candidate by (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi. He'll go to DC; he'll be just another vote for her."

"And what we need is a person like myself who understands the 6th District (and) what the issues are, what the priorities are and can really be a fierce advocate for the people of the 6th," she said.

Handel received loud cheers this past weekend when she told the crowd, "We are gonna rock Nancy Pelosi's world."

Pelosi has donated a large sum of money to Ossoff, along with the Democratic National Committee which has given more than $2 million to Ossoff's race.

The person elected will replace Tom Price, President Donald Trump's health secretary. Price won with 62 percent of the vote, while Trump won by less than 2 percentage points.

Trump showed support for Handel in a tweet Tuesday morning reading:

"KAREN HANDEL FOR CONGRESS. She will fight for lower taxes, great healthcare strong security-a hard worker who will never give up! VOTE TODAY"

In another tweet Trump blasted Ossoff, claiming that he would raise taxes "to the highest level" and would be "weak on crime and security."

Voters have already cast 140,308 early ballots, according to the Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp. This is more than double the 56,830 early ballots cast in the April 18 special election.