Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election, 2017

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Georgia's 6th Congressional District

Coverage

Overview • Polls • Political context Campaign ads • Timeline

Quick Facts

Special Election: April 18, 2017 Runoff Election: June 20, 2017 Election Winner: Karen Handel Incumbent: Tom Price (R)

Race Ratings

Cook Political Report: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up Rothenberg & Gonzales: Pure Toss-up

2017-2018 Special Elections

Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the June 20, 2017, special election runoff to represent the 6th Congressional District of Georgia.

It was the most expensive U.S. House race in history. The two campaigns, along with outside organizations, spent more than $50 million on the election. Although Handel held the advantage with outside groups spending money on the race, the Democratic effort to flip this congressional seat, which has been held by a Republican since 1979, began early. Ossoff raised $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2017, where recent Democratic candidates raised no more than $45,000 in the general election. In April and May, Ossoff raised an additional $15 million. Handel raised $4 million, relying on national political figures like President Donald Trump in May and Vice President Mike Pence in June to helm fundraisers. Although Handel's fundraising paled in comparison to Ossoff's, she outraised recent Republican candidates by more than $2 million.

Tom Perez, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that his party's investment in the race was part of a larger effort to improve party infrastructure across the country. "We're investing heavily here in the Georgia six race, but I'm traveling across the country. We're building strong parties everywhere. That's what we have to do because that's where we fell short in the past. We allowed our basic infrastructure to, you know, to atrophy and we have to build strong parties," he said. This spending was driven primarily by out-of-state contributions, which Handel and conservative outside organizations highlighted in critical campaign ads.

This special election was one of the first chances since 2016 for the Democratic Party to reduce the Republican House majority. When asked about the importance of the race, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R), who represented the district for two decades, told Ballotpedia, "I do think Republicans have to pay attention, and I think it would be a big mistake to allow this district to go to Ossoff, partly because of the psychology nationally, and partly because once a relatively talented person gets in office, it’s really hard to get rid of them."

The Democratic Party had not held Georgia's 6th District since before Gingrich's first election in 1978. However, Trump's victory margin of 1.5 percent over Hillary Clinton in the district in the 2016 presidential race signified that the district could be competitive. Comparatively, Mitt Romney (R) won the district by a margin of 23.3 percent in 2012, and John McCain (R) defeated Barack Obama (D) by 18 percent in 2008. Republicans suggested that Ossoff's failure to win in the district, despite an infusion of cash, was evidence that Democrats would not have electoral success in 2018.

Ossoff was a first-time candidate who previously worked in D.C. as a legislative aide to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) for five years and as a documentary producer. Ossoff campaigned against Trump's policies and emphasized small business growth, affordable healthcare, preserving Medicare and Medicaid, and national security. He was characterized as more of a centrist than a progressive by New York Magazine, The Washington Post, National Review, and The New York Times. Handel, who served as the Georgia Secretary of State from 2007 to 2010, supported the Trump administration's position on healthcare and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, although she rarely mentioned the president by name while campaigning. She instead focused on promoting conservative principles and economic issues such as improving the tax code for small businesses.

This was the fourth congressional special election of the year and the third won by a Republican.

This page is about the June 20 runoff election. For a detailed overview of the April 18 election that narrowed the field to two candidates for the June 20 election, see April 18 special election in Georgia's 6th Congressional District

Runoff candidates

Jon Ossoff (D)

Jon Ossoff, a journalist and documentary producer, worked on the Hill as a legislative aide to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) for five years. He received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and master's degree from the London School of Economics. With the official announcement of his candidacy in January 2017, Ossoff positioned himself as a counteragent to the Trump administration, saying, “Donald Trump is an embarrassment and a threat to prosperity and health, justice, and security in the Sixth District. I’m running to stop him and to fight for our community in Congress." On his campaign website, Ossoff listed small business growth, affordable healthcare, preserving Medicare and Medicaid, national security, defending Planned Parenthood, and reducing the mass incarceration of nonviolent offenders as key priorities. In May 2017, he opposed the American Health Care Act of 2017. "I strongly oppose this bill, which allows discrimination against Georgians with pre-existing conditions and would make health insurance unaffordable for millions of families. This bill puts Georgians’ lives at risk. Congress should put aside partisan politics and work to make affordable insurance and quality care available to all Americans," Ossoff said.

Karen Handel (R)

Karen Handel served as the Georgia Secretary of State from 2007 to 2010. Following her time in office, she worked at Susan G. Komen for the Cure as the vice president for public policy. When she announced her candidacy in February 2017, Handel highlighted repealing the Affordable Care Act and reducing regulations and spending as priorities. "I have a record of standing up and fighting the status quo to get things done and I will take that fight to Washington," Handel said. Handel identified anti-abortion legislation, repealing the Affordable Care Act, constructing a border wall, improving guest worker programs, simplifying the tax code, establishing a 10-year sunset provision on regulations, and increasing national defense spending as policy priorities. Handel's campaign said in a statement that she would have supported the American Health Care Act of 2017: "Karen would have joined with the Republicans in the Georgia delegation in voting in favor of the bill. She believes that the status quo is unacceptable and that this legislation, while not perfect, represents just the first step in replacing Obamacare with patient-centered healthcare."

Handel spoke with Ballotpedia on March 31, 2017, about her campaign.

Elections results

June 20, 2017

U.S. House, Georgia District 6 Special Election Runoff, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Karen Handel	51.8%	134,799
	Democratic	Jon Ossoff	48.2%	125,517
Total Votes				260,316
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

April 18, 2017

U.S. House, Georgia District 6 Special Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jon Ossoff	48.1%	92,673
	Republican	Karen Handel	19.8%	38,071
	Republican	Bob Gray	10.8%	20,802
	Republican	Dan Moody	8.8%	17,028
	Republican	Judson Hill	8.8%	16,870
	Republican	Kurt Wilson	0.9%	1,820
	Republican	David Abroms	0.9%	1,639
	Democratic	Ragin Edwards	0.3%	504
	Democratic	Ron Slotin	0.3%	491
	Republican	Bruce LeVell	0.2%	455
	Republican	Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan	0.2%	415
	Republican	Keith Grawert	0.2%	415
	Republican	Amy Kremer	0.2%	351
	Republican	William Llop	0.2%	326
	Democratic	Rebecca Quigg	0.2%	304
	Democratic	Richard Keatley	0.1%	229
	Independent	Alexander Hernandez	0.1%	121
	Independent	Andre Pollard	0%	55
Total Votes				192,569
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

Political analysis of election outcome

After the election, members of Congress, party activists, and journalists examined the political strategies and external factors leading to Handel's victory over Ossoff. Frequently mentioned explanations for the election outcome included issues with Ossoff as a candidate, the negative influence of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), ineffective messaging, and inefficient voter contact efforts.

Candidate issues

• Representative-elect Karen Handel (R-Ga.): "In the last month, Republicans suddenly started paying attention and more independents started breaking my way. And the issue of [Ossoff's] residency started permeating. It really did matter to people that they would have a congressman that was part of this district. ... What everyone should take away from this is, as a candidate and in a campaign, you have an obligation out of respect to voters to be authentic about who you are."
• Ed Kilgore of New York Magazine: "Negative ads still work. The clear and consistent focus of the GOP message in GA-06 was to remind the district’s dominant Republicans that Jon Ossoff is a Democrat, and to convince them his mild, centrist persona disguised a monstrous radical leftist who is 'not one of us.'"

Nancy Pelosi

• U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass): "Look, I think the Democratic Party has to come to terms with the fact that what we're doing isn't working. It's time for some change. I think it's time for a new generation of leadership."
• U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.): "There comes a time when every leader has to say, ‘For the good of the order and for the betterment of the party, it’s time for me to step aside.’ And I wish that that would happen right now. This is not a personal thing. I want to get back in the majority."
• U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas): "I think you'd have to be an idiot to think we could win the House with Pelosi at the top. Nancy Pelosi is not the only reason that Ossoff lost. But she certainly is one of the reasons."

Progressive vs. moderate messaging

• U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass): "We need a genuinely new message, a serious jobs plan that reaches all Americans, and a bigger tent not a smaller one. Focus on the future."
• U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.): "Until we take a risk as a party in offering a bold economic platform, we're not going to break through in some of these elections. When you try to target things to a lowest common denominator, you run the risk of not having an inspiring message."
• Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org: "In the closing weeks of the race, Ossoff and the DCCC missed an opportunity to make Republicans’ attack on health care the key issue, and instead attempted to portray Ossoff as a centrist, focusing on cutting spending and coming out [in] opposition to Medicare for All. This approach did not prove a recipe for electoral success. Democrats will not win back power merely by serving as an alternative to Trump and Republicans."

Party and grassroots management

• Jim Dean, chair of Democracy for America: "Defeating Republicans in districts that they have traditionally held requires doing something drastically different than establishment Democrats have done before — specifically, running on a bold progressive vision and investing heavily in direct voter contact to expand the electorate. That's what it will take to win districts like this one in 2018 and take back the House. The same, tired centrist Democratic playbook that has come up short cycle after cycle will not suffice."
• Robert Becker, Iowa chair of Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign: "Well, seems we spent $30 million to get 48% in Georgia ... and next to nothing to get 48% in South Carolina. One has to wonder what impact $30 million would have if it was directed to state Democratic parties instead of a gazillion TV ads. Maybe try standing for something and investing in grassroots instead would be the lesson?"
• Jonathan Martin and Richard Fausset of The New York Times: "Questions also lingered about whether the grass-roots coalition backing Mr. Ossoff — fueled by highly motivated anti-Trump activists who were, in many cases, new to political activity and organizing — could improve on its April showing in a runoff held at the beginning of the summer vacation season, in a district where people have the means to escape to the beach."
• Corry Bliss, director of the Congressional Leadership Fund: "We were never going to match Ossoff on TV. Nor did we need to. We concluded that the best use of our dollars would be running a highly targeted ground game.”
• Molly Ball of The Atlantic: "By the end, the scale of the Ossoff campaign was staggering, with dozens of staffers, a sophisticated voter-turnout operation, and six field offices—the sort of footprint normally reserved for presidential campaigns. Most of the Ossoff volunteers I met were local residents who had grown up somewhere else, longtime Democrats who had long felt outnumbered. In the end, they were no match for their neighbors’ deeply rooted political allegiances, and they may have become a self-reinforcing feedback loop."

Incumbency

• Deroy Murdock of National Review: "The power of incumbency — coupled with outgunned opponents — largely explains the healthy vote tallies that these congressmen enjoyed. When these four new lawmakers seek reelection, higher name ID and the other benefits of incumbency likely will vault them over this season’s ballot results. Therefore, nervous Republicans on Capitol Hill should stop quaking in their wingtips."

The Trump effect

• Steve Stivers, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee: "Stivers said the Democratic strategy of trying to make every House race a referendum on Trump also isn’t working. Democrats tried unsuccessfully to tie vulnerable House Republican candidates to Trump in 2016; most of them, however outran Trump—even in districts Hillary Clinton carried. Stivers said Democrats are using the same tactic now and, once again, failing: Handel beat Ossoff by a larger margin (about 4 points) than Trump beat Hillary Clinton in that district in 2016 (about 1 point, down from Mitt Romney's 24-point margin in 2012)."
• Paul Kane of The Washington Post: "Meanwhile, in this race in Georgia, the most unpopular Republican in the country remained a major presence but not in terms of the messages from either candidate. Handel largely avoided discussing the latest controversies spawned by Trump’s actions, and Ossoff only indirectly mentioned Trump, going out of his way to say that he was willing work with the president if it delivered results. Privately, Democratic strategists said even before the votes were counted Tuesday that Ossoff’s civility campaign would be mirrored only in more Republican-leaning districts, and that a more aggressive anti-Trump campaign would be waged by candidates in longtime swing districts."

Political context

This special election was one of the first chances since 2016 for the Democratic Party to put a small dent in the Republican House majority. Under normal circumstances, Georgia's 6th District would have been seen as a safe Republican district, as the Democratic Party has not held the district since before Newt Gingrich's first election to the seat in 1978. However, Donald Trump's narrow win by a margin of 1.5 percent over Hillary Clinton in the district in the 2016 presidential race signified that the district could be competitive. Comparatively, Mitt Romney won the district by a margin of 23.3 percent in 2012, and John McCain defeated Barack Obama by 18 percent in 2008.

For more information about the demographics of the district, voter turnout, and legal issues in this race, click here.

Policy

Current events

Paris Climate Agreement

See also: Federal policy on the Paris Climate Agreement, 2017

On June 1, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. Under the agreement, signatory countries pledged to reduce carbon dioxide and similar emissions in an effort to limit human-caused climate change. Handel supported the withdrawal, saying, "We need a fair agreement that doesn’t start with the assumption that American jobs should be sacrificed to the developing world in order to address the impacts of climate change." Ossoff opposed the decision. "I agree with our military, our intelligence community, and peer-reviewed science that climate change is a major threat to our prosperity and our security, and if we walk away from this historic agreement now, history will condemn us," he said.

American Health Care Act of 2017

See also: American Health Care Act of 2017

After a revised version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) of 2017 passed the U.S. House on May 4, 2017, Ossoff released a statement expressing his opposition to the bill. "I strongly oppose this bill, which allows discrimination against Georgians with pre-existing conditions and would make health insurance unaffordable for millions of families. This bill puts Georgians’ lives at risk. Congress should put aside partisan politics and work to make affordable insurance and quality care available to all Americans," he said.

Handel's campaign said in a statement that she would have supported the legislation: "Karen would have joined with the Republicans in the Georgia delegation in voting in favor of the bill. She believes that the status quo is unacceptable and that this legislation, while not perfect, represents just the first step in replacing Obamacare with patient-centered healthcare."

Investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election

See also: Investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election

On May 9, 2017, President Donald Trump, on the recommendations of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, fired James Comey, the director of the FBI, for his handling of the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server use. Comey had confirmed in March 2017 during a House hearing that the FBI was investigating possible ties between Trump associates and Russia.

Ossoff tweeted, "Comey’s firing raises severe questions. There should be bipartisan support for a special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference."

Handel supported Trump's decision to fire Comey. "It’s been clear for some time that FBI Director Comey has lost the confidence of Republicans, Democrats and broader institutions, and his removal as FBI Director was probably overdue. I hope that the President will quickly nominate a strong, independent leader as the next Director of the FBI and that the Senate will consider the nomination as quickly as possible," she said in a statement on May 10, 2017.

After the Justice Department appointed special counsel in the investigation on May 17, 2017, Handel commended the decision: "It is important that all the facts are brought to light in the Russia investigation, and I am encouraged that the appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller will facilitate this process and help ensure this occurs."

Middle East and military policy

During a Jewish War Veterans (JWV) meeting on May 21, 2017, Handel said that she would support the Taylor Force Act, which would end U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority as long as it continued providing funding to individuals who have committed acts of terrorism and their families. Handel received help on the stump from Republican military veterans and U.S. representatives, Brian Mast (Fla.) and Will Hurd (Texas).

Also speaking to the JWV, Ossoff expressed his support for NATO and efforts to restrict the flow of cash to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. He also advocated the use of air power over the deployment of U.S. ground forces to combat the Islamic State. "When the decision was made to enter that conflict, policymakers in Washington were not considering the physical and mental trauma imposed on those doing the war fighting," Ossoff said.

June 6 debate

After the conclusion of the April 18 special election, which necessitated a June 20 runoff between Handel and Ossoff, both campaigns considered numerous debate locations and dates. After Ossoff confirmed his availability for three separate debates, Handel's campaign declined to participate in a debate that was to be run by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, but accepted an invitation to debate Ossoff on June 6, on WSB-TV. On May 31, Handel's campaign announced her availability for three additional debates, including a televised debate on June 8 sponsored by WABE/PBA30, a televised debate on CNN sponsored by The Atlanta Press Club, and a radio-only debate on WSB-Radio hosted by the North Fulton Chamber. Ossoff previously announced his availability for the June 8 debate on WABE/PBA30, which was the second debate to be scheduled. Ossoff's campaign later announced that he did not plan to participate in the debate televised on CNN.

Policy highlights

Jon Ossoff (D) and Karen Handel (R) participated in the first televised debate of the election on June 6, 2017. Hosted by WSB-TV Atlanta, the debate primarily covered domestic policy issues, including immigration, campaign finance, healthcare, taxes, infrastructure, and the minimum wage. The nature of Handel's role in the Susan G. Komen Foundation's decision to briefly end its relationship with Planned Parenthood and Ossoff's residence outside of the district were also frequently discussed.

The following quotes were transcribed from a recording of the debate:

Trump's executive order on immigration

The candidates were asked to comment on President Donald Trump's March 2017 immigration executive order, which sought to temporarily block individuals from six Middle Eastern and African countries from entering the U.S.

Handel: "In terms of the president's travel proposal, it is a temporary, limited halt for six countries that are known to harbor terrorists. I do not—let me be clear—I do not support a religious litmus test. I do support vetting individuals coming into this country, particularly from those countries."

Ossoff: "I think that a policy which restricts travel simply on the basis of the country of origin from which a traveler emerges is not effective. We need an intelligence-driven approach. We need an approach that identifies threats before they attempt to enter the country and an approach that polices threats that emerge from within the United States within the bounds of the Constitution."

Campaign finance

Handel: "I think that we need more transparency. ... And I would be fully supportive of that, to have more transparency in who the donors are for all of the groups. I also think it's important for any candidate to make sure he or she is being propelled by the people within the district."

Ossoff: "I'm a strong proponent of campaign finance reform—to get unchecked, unlimited, anonymous money out of politics."

Disagreement with recent administrations and Syria

Handel and Ossoff were asked which policies supported by the Trump administration or Obama administration, respectively, they opposed.

Handel: "I am troubled by the deep cuts in scientific research and cancer research [in the budget] and will have an eye towards ensuring that we are protecting the breast and cervical early detection screening program and funding for community health centers."

Ossoff: "I think that when President Obama laid down a red line in Syria, which was that the Assad regime would face military consequences if it used chemical weapons against civilians, and then backed away from that red line when the U.S. intelligence community found that Assad had done so, it sent a signal the U.S. would not firmly and resolutely make good on our commitments to international peace and security. And that is, in fact, why I supported this White House in launching swift, limited, punitive strikes in response to Assad's use of chemical weapons this year."

Handel: "And, yes, I did oppose the strikes in Syria by President Obama and the reason we had to go in and do what we did under President Trump is because President Obama had the line in the sand and then erased it and had such a weak policy. And you cannot let stand global types of incidents like we had in Syria because it goes so against the norm so the president acted appropriately."

Iran nuclear deal

See also: Iran nuclear agreement: An overview

Handel: "I find it interesting because my opponent has been in support of the Iran deal and it is a fact that Iran has broken the parameters of that deal. ... What I will say is this, we need to have the strongest policy forward on Iran. ... But it is a fact that Iran is stockpiling the necessary ingredients to nuclearize. We must stop that and engage our allies and indeed they are one of the biggest threats to our ally Israel."

Ossoff: "Iran has made some commitments to restrict uranium enrichment and we need to hold Iran to the commitments. ... We need to make sure sanctions snap back in the event the intelligence community or the International Atomic Energy Agency find that Iran has violated its commitments. ... If Iran poses an imminent threat to Israel, to the United States, to any of our allies, then we should use force to prevent them from striking our allies. And as we seek to ensure that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapons capability, if economic policy, diplomatic policy are unsuccessful in dissuading them from developing a nuclear weapon, then we should be prepared to use force if necessary."

Healthcare

The candidates were asked to comment on a report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) finding that 23 more million Americans would be uninsured under the American Health Care Act than the Affordable Care Act.

Handel: "The system we're under now under Obamacare is collapsing and I know because my husband and I get our insurance on the exchange. ... I reject the premise of the CBO. What it's saying is it's a projection and it's assuming that not a single person is going to take advantage of the tax credits that are within the bill making its way through the Senate. ... Those tax credits are going to encourage people to have plans. It's going to help create more choice when we get the federal government out of the way."

Ossoff: "The bill that passed the House guts protection for pre-existing conditions for Georgians. ... It's fine to say that someone can get a plan if they have a pre-existing condition. If they can't afford the plan, that's a useless protection. The protection in the law currently prohibits price discrimination for people with pre-existing conditions."

Infrastructure

Handel: "It is clear that we have left our infrastructure unattended and allowed there to be decay. What we saw, however, that was a positive was that when jurisdictions work together when we get the federal government out of the way, we can do really good things. ... We need to work diligently as the tax reform bill comes through in how we can structure the infrastructure payment system."

Ossoff: "I will work with anyone to deliver the kind of infrastructure renewal that Georgia so urgently needs if we're going to attract jobs and investment to this community. ... I'm ready to work with the White House on an infrastructure package."

Trump's tax policy

Handel: "We need comprehensive tax reform. We are at the highest corporate tax rate in the world. ... We have to have individual relief, as well. ... The vast majority of businesses are organized as pass-through organizations, S corps, and LLCs. If we don't have individual relief, as well, we won't be able to see that large percentage of businesses be able to participate."

Ossoff: "I will work with anyone in Washington...to try to achieve a reduction in corporate income tax rates for small- and medium-sized businesses by eliminating loopholes in the corporate tax code."

Religious freedom laws

Handel: "I also oppose legislation that would infringe on individual's religious freedoms. We need to have strong, strong support for the First Amendment, while at the same time recognizing that we also don't want to discriminate based on someone's sexual orientation."

Ossoff: "I oppose any legislation that permits discrimination of people on the basis of sexual orientation, on the basis of race or faith or national origin. I think we need to redouble our commitment to the civil rights of all Americans."

Minimum wage increase

Handel: "This is an example of the fundamental difference between a liberal and a conservative. I do not support a livable wage. What I support is making sure that we have an economy that is robust with low taxes and less regulation so that those small businesses that would be dramatically hurt if you impose higher minimum wages on them are able to do what they do best: grow jobs and create good-paying jobs for the people in the 6th District."

Ossoff: "The minimum wage should be a living wage. I think we can raise it indexed to the cost of living because the cost of living varies widely in urban and rural areas and in different states across this country. I think that increase needs to be implemented at a pace that allows business owners to adapt their business plans so they're not shocked by a sudden increase in labor costs."

Bipartisanship

The candidates were asked which member of the Georgia congressional delegation from the opposing party they would want to work with.

Handel: "It's not about which one individual person. It's about looking at the policy and coming up with sound conservative policies that will be in the best interest of the 6th District. ... I said it's not about any particular issue. We need to all work together, and I have a record of actually doing that. As Fulton County Commission chairman, I did not have a Republican majority in that role. So, I had to get very good at working across the aisle."

Ossoff: "I hope to work with every Republican in the Georgian delegation. I would point out Sen. Isakson who has a reputation, a long track record of working across the aisle to get things done. ... We've lost a little bit of that nationally. Congress is full of career politicians who are mired in gridlock, who do nothing but fight amongst themselves. ... I will be an independent voice for this community."

Top priority for Georgia's economy

Handel: "The most important thing to do for Georgia's economy is repeal and replace Obamacare. It is the largest tax increase, certainly in my lifetime. Get comprehensive tax reform done so that we can draw down corporate rates and individual rates and continue the aggressive assault on rolling back the onerous regulatory climate that is crushing jobs."

Ossoff: "The most important thing we can do is to attack waste in the federal budget so that we can make tough choices and set the right priorities. I have identified nearly $600 billion in specific savings and cuts over the next 10 years...in cuts to programs that have been found to be duplicative or improperly paid for by nonpartisan agencies like the GAO and CBO. ... If we attack that waste, we can set the right priorities: hi-tech research, higher education, infrastructure, and deficit reduction and grow our local economy."

June 8 debate

Policy highlights

Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff participated in the second televised debate for the runoff election to represent Georgia's 6th Congressional District. The debate was aired by WABE Radio and PBA30-TV. The candidates discussed domestic policy, President Trump, national security, and the local economy.

Healthcare

Ossoff - "What we need is bipartisan efforts to get premiums under control. I think we can do that by introducing more competition into the insurance market… Like in any market, if consumers have more choices, then prices will be driven down and quality will be driven up, but what the House healthcare bill does… is not only throw more than 20 million Americans off their health insurance, but it guts protections for Georgians with pre-existing conditions."

Handel - "The status quo on Obamacare is unacceptable. This is a system that is collapsing in on itself… Ladies and gentlemen, premiums are already pricing people out of plans. [The CBO report for the AHCA] assumes that not a single solitary person currently on the exchange is going to take advantage of the tax credits that are given to individuals who want to buy a plan… The CBO projected great numbers for Obamacare, and they didn't come through at all…"

The economy and the budget

Handel - "We have serious budget issues that require our attention and some tough decisions. At the same time, we're not going to cut our way out of things. So, that budget was presented with also a parallel to do tax reform, roll back mandates, and roll back regulations… I believe, unlike my opponent who refuses to commit to tax reductions and tax cuts, that if we reduce corporate rates and individual rates, we will start to spur real economic growth so that we can get the economy moving up into the the three percent range, if not higher."

Ossoff - "I've been advocating for reductions in corporate income tax rates for small and medium sized business. I think that would be a big win for our business community here in Georgia, and unlike Secretary Handel, I have identified specific cuts and savings, $600 billion over ten years, and $16 billion immediately, in order to reduce the deficit and create space for us to set the right priorities, higher education, infrastructure, high tech research which we need to grow our local economy here."

President Trump, the Russia investigation, and Comey's opening statement

Handel - "It is imperative that we get to the facts of this situation and let the facts really drive where we go and what action we take, not innuendo and those things in the press... Comey should have been fired… I'm not going to get into the speculatory [sic] realm of this. I want to see the actual facts and the American people have a right and deserve to know what actually happened."

Ossoff - "Here's what we know. The U.S. intelligence community has publicly stated that the Russian government sought to interfere in the U.S. presidential election... and that is an outrage… I've been calling for an independent investigation for a long time along with independent minded leaders on both sides of the aisle… What we need is effective congressional oversight, not partisan congressional oversight."

The Iran Nuclear Deal

Ossoff - "Our intelligence community and inspectors at the IAEA do have the ability to assess whether or not Iran is in compliance with the deal and my argument is that we need strict, uncompromising monitoring of Iran's compliance with its obligations to restrict Uranium enrichment, that sanctions snap back in the event they are in violation, and furthermore, we should be prepared to impose additional sanctions if Iran continues to test ballistic missiles in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions…"

Handel - "From things that I have seen, they are already and have violated the terms of the deal. That is the reason that there is a bill working its way through the United States Senate now to enhance and increase and put in place stricter sanctions against Iran... I believe that the incredible and despicable attacks in Manchester and London really speak to the very fact that nations around the world, we have to come together with our allies and do whatever is necessary to combat terrorism, while at the same time doing making sure that we prevent the nuclearization of further nations."

The environment

Ossoff - "When the military, the intelligence community, and peer-reviewed science all agree, then policy makers need to take that seriously. [China and India] also committed to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and rather than letting them off the hook, we need to take a tough stance that holds China and India accountable to living up to their obligations and the U.S. should continue to exercise global leadership in the fight against climate change."

Handel - "The Paris accord was a very bad deal for America and Americans. It is important that we do the right thing, but we also have to do the right thing in the right way. In that accord, first of all, there is no ability in the accord to hold India and China accountable, none whatsoever, and American businesses were being put at a significant competitive disadvantage. So what the president said is that he wants to renegotiate it and come back to the table and make it a fair agreement where there is accountability within that agreement."

Spending

With more than $29.7 million spent on television ads as of May 6, 2017, the race in the 6th District became the most expensive House contest in U.S. history, according to Politico. While Ossoff has benefited most from interest in the election—raising $8.3 million in the first three months of 2017 from mostly small donors—Handel's campaign reported raising more than $1 million in the week after the April 18 special election. Both President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan held fundraisers for Handel and the Republican-backing Congressional Leadership Fund announced that it would spend $8.5 million by the end of the election. One political strategist in the state estimated that $40 million would be invested in the race.

According to an analysis of candidate spending by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ossoff spent $11.2 million—nearly half of the money he raised—on TV and print advertising and mailers. Handel spent approximately one-quarter of her $4 million on ads. Ossoff also reported paying salaries to 170 staffers, while Handel paid 14 people to work on her campaign.

June 20 runoff spending

Following the April 18 special election, Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel continued to raise money ahead of the June 20 runoff election. Ossoff's contributions totaled about $23.6 million, an increase from the $8.3 million his campaign raise prior to April 18. Handel's contributions totaled about $4.6 million, up from about $464,000 prior to the April 18 special election. Both candidates had more than $2 million cash-on-hand for the final days of the campaign. Data was provided by the Federal Election Commission and represented fundraising and spending through May 31, 2017.

Runoff election FEC Report
Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Jon Ossoff	$23,600,861.14	$22,532,609.57	$2,136,503.14
Karen Handel	$4,555,808.76	$3,158,847.03	$2,811,138.82

FEC filings for March 29 through May 31, 2017, showed that Ossoff exceeded Handel's total number of contributors, with 101,308 individual contributors compared to Handel's 5,615 contributors. Ossoff also had more contributors from Georgia than Handel (3,183 to 2,102), but Handel's contributors made up a greater percentage (37.44 percent to 3.14 percent).

Runoff election FEC Report
Candidate	Total number of contributors	Number of contributors from Georgia	Percent of contributors from Georgia
Jon Ossoff	101,308	3,183	3.14%
Karen Handel	5,615	2,102	37.44%

Pre-April 18 candidate spending

Prior to the April 18 election, Jon Ossoff (D) led the field in fundraising by a substantial margin, raising over $8.3 million. Over $5.6 million of that sum was from individual donations of less than $200, which means that detailed information about those donors is unavailable as the FEC does not require donations of less than $200 to be itemized. Of the remaining money, nearly 25 percent came from in-state. Roughly 20 percent came from California, 16 percent from New York, 6 percent from Massachusetts, and 3 percent from Illinois. Karen Handel (R) raised $463,744 and had $183,977 cash on hand. Nearly 90 percent Handel's donations came from within Georgia.

Pre-Special FEC Report
Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Jon Ossoff	$8,320,693	$6,183,941	$2,136,751
Karen Handel	$463,744	$279,767	$183,977

The 2017 special election compared to previous races to represent Georgia's 6th

The 10 most expensive U.S. House races for general election candidates in 2016 involved a total of about $97.1 million in spending, while 10 races that cost the same as the 2017 race for Georgia's 6th Congressional District would total about $256.9 million in spending. In the four most recent elections for the seat prior to 2017, Democratic general election candidates spent a total of $59,166, compared to more than $7 million for Republican general election candidates over the same period. FEC data for the 2017 race showed that candidates spent a total of about $25.7 million, including $22.5 million for Democrat Jon Ossoff and $3.1 million for Republican Karen Handel.

Georgia's 6th General Election Spending
Year	Democratic candidate spending	Republican candidate spending
2010	$0	$1,218,835
2012	$44,593	$1,779,246
2014	$14,573	$1,724,935
2016	$0	$2,462,030
Total 2010 - 2016	$59,166	$7,185,046

2016 Districts with 10 Highest-spending General Election Candidates vs. 2017 GA-6 Runoff Candidates
2016 District	Total spending	2017 Georgia District 6
Florida District 18	$13,706,697	$25,691,457
Wisconsin District 1	$13,410,703
Illinois District 10	$10,503,884
Arizona District 2	$9,402,312
New Jersey District 5	$9,006,502
Montana At-Large	$8,587,609
California District 49	$8,316,845
Virginia District 10	$8,112,264
California District 23	$8,107,679
New York District 1	$7,922,937

2016 U.S. House Spending vs. 2017 GA-6
2016 Spending on Top 10 Races	2017 Spending on GA-6 x 10
$97,077,432	$256,914,570

• Special election spending provided by the Federal Election Commission was accurate through May 31, 2017

Satellite spending

• June 6, 2017: America First Policies, which supports the policy positions of President Donald Trump, initiated its first ad-buy in a congressional election, allocating $1.6 million to help Republican Karen Handel defeat Democrat Jon Ossoff.

• May 29, 2017: House Majority PAC, which supports Democratic candidates running for the U.S. House, announced that it would spend $500,000 on a new ad opposing Republican Karen Handel.

• May 24, 2017: The Congressional Leadership Fund announced that it would send 45 more canvassers to the district to support Handel, increasing its voter reach by 100,000 households. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also invested an additional $2 million into the race primarily for television ad buys, bringing the organization's total spending in the race to $5 million. Of that recent investment, approximately $150,000 was spent on radio targeting black voters.

• May 18, 2017: The Democratic National Committee announced that it was sending 10 field organizers to get out the vote for Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff in Georgia. The approximately 78,000 black, Latino, and Asian American registered voters who did not participate in the April 18 special election would be the focus of phone banks, canvassing, and driving pools on election day. The House Majority PAC also announced that it would spend $500,000 on advertising and $200,000 on field efforts for Ossoff.

• May 18, 2017: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a new ad opposing Karen Handel. The "six-figure" ad buy is part of a total commitment by the DCCC of nearly $3.0 million, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• April 26, 2017: The Congressional Leadership Fund announced a commitment of $3.5 million to support Karen Handel and to oppose Jon Ossoff. This includes a $2.5 million ad buy, which started on May 10, and an additional $1 million for mail and digital campaigns and field operations.

• April 21, 2017: The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) made an initial $250,000 purchase on an ad buy supporting Karen Handel (R).

• April 19, 2017: The Congressional Leadership Fund released an ad opposing Jon Ossoff. The ad criticized Ossoff for not living in the district and for the amount of out of state donations he received.

• April 19, 2017: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $450,000 on an ad opposing Karen Handel. The ad criticized Handel for spending and cutting education funding while she served as secretary of state.

• April 14, 2017: The DCCC released a radio ad featuring actor Samuel L. Jackson urging voters to get out and vote Democratic.

• April 10, 2017: The Club for Growth spent another $300,000 on an ad opposing Karen Handel (R) and Dan Moody (R) on taxes.

• April 7, 2017: The Congressional Leadership Fund released another ad, which tied Ossoff to Nancy Pelosi. The ad brought the spending total of CLF up to nearly $3 million.

• April 6, 2017: Ending Spending released an ad supporting Karen Handel (R). The size of the ad buy was $500,000.

• April 3, 2017: The NRCC released an ad opposing Jon Ossoff (D). The ad calls Ossoff a "D.C. Liberal", and the NRCC reportedly spent $2 million on the purchase.

• March 31, 2017: The NRCC released an ad urging voters to get out and vote Republican in the special election. The NRCC also spent money to put five staffers on the ground in the district in the following week.

• March 30, 2017: According to a Republican operative, the Republican National Committee (RNC) planned on increasing its number of staffers on the ground from six to 15. The RNC also planned to open a second field office.

• March 28, 2017: The Club for Growth, which had previously endorsed Bob Gray (R) in the race, launched an ad targeting Karen Handel (R), the leading Republican in polling. The ad criticized Handel for spending during her tenure as Georgia secretary of state.

• March 1, 2017: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, began spending in the race by launching a $1.1 million ad campaign targeting the Democratic front-runner in the race, Jon Ossoff.

• February 2017: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) paid to put nine staffers on the ground in the district in an attempt to reach voters who had not been targeted in prior election cycles.

Endorsements

Karen Handel

• Mitt Romney (R), former Republican presidential nominee and Governor of Massachusetts, endorsed Handel as part of a fundraising effort released on June 13, saying, "This is a fight we can win – but we need the support of every single conservative right now."

• Greg Gianforte (R), who won a special election to represent Montana in the U.S. House in May 2017, sent an email fundraiser for Handel distributed by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

• The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund - "Karen Handel supports our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. She has fought for the values and freedoms that Georgians hold dear. In Congress, she will defend our right to protect ourselves and our families."

• Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) - "My choice: I'm supporting the person who knows our district, who's an experienced leader. I'm voting for Karen Handel. Karen has a record of fighting for us, for our families, for our local businesses, for Georgia jobs. On June 20, Karen's got my vote. She is the real deal."

• All Republican members of Georgia's U.S. House delegation: Reps. Buddy Carter, Drew Ferguson, Rob Woodall, Austin Scott, Doug Collins, Jody Hice, Barry Loudermilk, Rick Allen and Tom Graves

• Former Sen. Saxby Chambliss - "Karen is one of those people who simply gets things done. Her reputation from Atlanta to Washington is that she is the kind of person...that you can work with. And she will do what she says she's going to do."

Jon Ossoff

• American Nurses Association (ANA) - The ANA announced its support for Ossoff on June 18, 2017.

• Delta Air Lines Pilots' Union - "Based upon his public stance and plans for active support of the pilot partisan agenda of Delta pilots, we endorse candidate Jon Ossoff in the Georgia 6th Congressional District special election."

• Joshua McLaurin - McLaurin dropped out of the race and endorsed Jon Ossoff on January 17, 2017.

• U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson and John Lewis

• Former Gov. Roy Barnes - "He came to see me early in this campaign, and I was impressed with him then and I've been impressed with him in his campaign. I know he will do well in the election, and I know he will do well as a member of Congress."

• Democracy for America

• Actress Jane Fonda - In the weeks leading up to the April 18 election, Fonda donated $2,000 to the Ossoff campaign.

Polling

Polls released in May and June showed a tight race, ranging from a 2-point lead for Handel to a 7-point lead for Ossoff. Ossoff had a narrow lead of 0.1 percent in a poll from WSB/Landmark Communications on the eve of the election, while a Trafalgar Group poll showed Handel with a lead of 1.9 percent.

Runoff polling (Handel v. Ossoff)

Georgia's 6th District special election runoff
Poll	Karen Handel	Jon Ossoff	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
WSB-TV / Landmark Communications June 19, 2017	48.9%	49.0%	2.1%	+/-4.4	500
The Trafalgar Group June 17-18, 2017	50.5%	48.6%	1.0%	+/-2.9	1,100
WSB-TV / Landmark Communications June 15, 2017	48.0%	49.7%	2.3%	+/-3.46	800
Fox 5 / Opinion Savvy June 15, 2017	49.4%	49.7%	1.0%	+/-4.2	537
The Trafalgar Group June 10-13, 2017	47.3%	50.2%	2.3%	+/-2.9	1,100
11 Alive / Survey USA June 7-11, 2017	47%	47%	6%	+/-4.5	700
WSB-TV / Landmark Communications June 6-7, 2017	47.1%	49.6%	3.3%	+/-4.78	420
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution June 5-8, 2017	44%	51%	5%	+/-4.0	745
WSB-TV / Landmark Communications May 30-31, 2017	47.6%	49.1%	3.3%	+/-4.38	500
Survey USA May 16-20, 2017	44%	51%	6%	+/-4.3	549
Gravis Marketing May 8-10, 2017	45%	47%	8%	+/-3.3	870
WSB-TV / Landmark Communications May 3-4, 2017	49.1%	46.5%	4.4%	+/-3.96	611
GBA Strategies April 29 - May 1, 2017	48%	50%	2%	+/-4.9	400
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Pre-April 18 election polling

Using the last five polls prior to the April 18 special election, Ballotpedia compared polling averages with election results. Of the polls analyzed, all of them underestimated the support for Democrat Jon Ossoff and all but one of them underestimated the support for Republican Karen Handel. Polling averages for Ossoff and Handel were below election results by 6.0 percent and 3.0 percent, respectively.

Candidate	Polling average	Election results	Polling accuracy
Jon Ossoff	42.0%	48.1%	-6.0%
Karen Handel	16.8%	19.8%	-3.0%
Bob Gray	12.4%	10.8%	+1.6%
Judson Hill	8.8%	8.8%	+0.0%
Dan Moody	9.0%	8.8%	+0.2%

Georgia's 6th District special election (2017)
Poll	Jon Ossoff	Karen Handel	Bob Gray	Judson Hill	Dan Moody	Bruce LeVell	Amy Kremer	Ron Slotin	David Abroms	Kurt Wilson	Unsure or Other	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Clout Research/Zpolitics April 14-15, 2017	41.3%	15.3%	16.6%	9.7%	9.1%	0.8%	0%	0.7%	2.9%	0%	3.6%	+/-4.58	453
Fox 5/Opinion Savvy April 13, 2017	41.5%	21.2%	10.6%	11.3%	9.4%	0%	0%	0.3%	0.6%	0.8%	3.2%	+/-4.6	437
WSB-TV April 12-13, 2017	45.3%	17.4%	8.6%	8%	8.4%	0.5%	0.5%	1.6%	1.5%	1%	7.2%	+/-4.2	500
RRH Elections/Decision Desk HQ April 5-10, 2017	39%	15%	12%	10%	11%	0%	0%	4%	3%	0%	6%	+/-5	321
11 Alive/SurveyUSA March 27-April 2, 2017	43%	15%	14%	5%	7%	1%	1%	0%	2%	1%	7%	+/-4.5	503
MoveOn.org/Lake Research Partners March 26-28, 2017	40%	18%	7%	8%	7%	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%	19%	+/-5.2	350
Fox 5/Opinion Savvy March 22-23, 2017	39.8%	19.9%	10.4%	9.5%	8.0%	0.4%	0.1%	1.3%	1.6%	1.8%	5.8%	+/-4.5	462
Clout Research March 15-16, 2017	40.9%	16.1%	15.6%	9.2%	5.1%	0.6%	0%	2.9%	1.7%	0%	7.9%	+/-3.8	625
Trafalgar Group March 2-3, 2017	18.31%	17.98%	13.42%	7.98%	2.11%	0.45%	3.05%	2.82%	0%	0%	33.9%	+/-4.5	450
Clout Research/Zpolitics February 17-18, 2017	31.7%	24.9%	10.6%	9.2%	2.0%	1.2%	0%	0%	0%	0%	20.4%	+/-3.7	694
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Issues

Campaign themes

Jon Ossoff

The following issues were listed on Ossoff's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Our Economy: Jon is a small business owner, executive, and entrepreneur — the CEO of a company that produces documentaries investigating organized crime and political corruption. He knows what it means to grow a company, meet a payroll, and balance budgets. Jon has a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics, where he specialized in trade relations between the US and China. Health Care: It is in our strong national interest that every American have quality, affordable health care. Whether it’s a newborn just home from the hospital, a mother battling cancer, or a veteran returned from overseas, our health isn’t negotiable. Our quality of life, our strength, and our prosperity depend on it. Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: Throughout our history, patriots, abolitionists, civil libertarians, suffragettes, and civil rights heroes have made huge sacrifices to advance liberty and justice for all. We should continue striving together toward a more perfect union. Jon will fight for our civil liberties to ensure that every American is free to determine the course of their own life so long as they don’t harm others. Jon will oppose cynical attempts by politicians to win elections by undermining Americans’ hard-fought, sacred voting rights. Women’s Health & Planned Parenthood: Jon will defend women’s access to contraception and a woman’s right to choose and fight any legislation or executive action that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against women. National Security: Jon is a former national security professional who understands the threats America faces and the complexity of international politics. When he was a national security staffer on Capitol Hill, Jon held a top secret security clearance and worked with our military and intelligence community to keep Georgians safe. In Congress, Jon will push for a tough, smart foreign policy that protects our national security while avoiding reckless, destabilizing missteps like the Iraq War.	”
—Jon Ossoff's campaign website

Karen Handel

The following issues were listed on Handel's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Abortion: I am Pro-life and believe that life begins at conception. We have made significant strides in fostering a Pro-life culture. Still, more must be done. I am proud to be the only candidate in this race to be endorsed by Susan B. Anthony List, and I am also certified by the Georgia Life Alliance. Health Care: Obamacare is the single biggest intrusion into the lives of Americans in decades. Healthcare costs and insurance premiums have skyrocketed. Obamacare must be repealed and replaced with market-based, patient-centered reforms. Immigration: True national security means securing our borders. The current immigration system is broken, and we MUST fix it. We need to build a wall along our southern border, demand immigration laws be enforced, improve the reliability of temporary visa programs, and create a viable guest worker program. While I understand and appreciate that we are a nation of immigrants, and believe we should be welcoming of those wish to migrate to our great country, we are also a nation of laws, and our laws must be respected. Jobs and the Economy: After 8 years of the Obama Administration's growth stifling policies, our economy -- and American families -- has suffered. Certainly, the economy has rebounded but it has been more of an economic reset -- with lower growth and stagnated wages -- than a real recovery. Onerous, punitive regulations, costly red tape, and a complex tax structure with rates that are too high are limiting business expansion and job growth. And, wages have not yet fully recovered with many continuing to earn less than they did prior to the so-called Great Recession and still others who have given up on finding work altogether. National Defense / Veterans: According to the United States Constitution, one of the central purposes of the federal government is to provide for the common defense of our nation and its people. No country is safe, nor any economy sound, without the backing of an extraordinarily strong military. I support President Trump's budget proposal to increase national defense spending, and I will continue to fight to ensure that our military has the tools and resources it needs to keep us safe.	”
—Karen Handel's campaign website

Campaign ads

For a detailed overview of campaign ads released in this special election, click here.

Jon Ossoff

This page only provides a small sample of ads for each campaign. For more campaign ads from this race along with detailed descriptions for each, click here.

Support

Ossoff's campaign ads focused on his professional experience, including his time spent with top-secret security clearance while working as a staffer for Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-4). Ossoff also criticized President Donald Trump, accusing him of "acting recklessly" and "embarrassing our country." Prior to the April 18 special election, Ossoff had not released any ads directed at his Republican opponents.

"Warrior" - One of Ossoff's three initial campaign ads, released March 3, 2017

"Accountable" - One of Ossoff's three initial campaign ads, released March 3, 2017

"Countdown" - One of Ossoff's three initial campaign ads, released March 3, 2017

Karen Handel

This page only provides a small sample of ads for each campaign. For more campaign ads from this race along with detailed descriptions for each, click here.

Support

Handel's campaign ads focused on her past political career as Georgia Secretary of State and chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Ending Spending also released multiple ads supporting Handel. Their ads focused on her ability to "get things done" and referred to her as a "proven conservative leader." One also featured former Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) endorsing Handel in the race. Prior to the April 18 special election, Handel had not released any ads directly opposing any other candidates, but she did briefly mention ads from the other front-runners in the race, calling them "empty promises and gimmicks."

"Talk" - Handel's first campaign ad, released March 29, 2017

"Proven Conservative" - Ending Spending ad supporting Handel

"Gets Things Done" - Ending Spending ad supporting Handel, released April 12, 2017

April 18 election

See also: April 18 special election in Georgia's 6th Congressional District for more detailed information on the April 18 election.

Jon Ossoff (D) took first place in the April 18 election with 48.1 percent of the vote. Karen Handel (R) secured the second position with 19.8 percent of the vote. Bob Gray (R) came in third with 10.8 percent of the vote, while Dan Moody (R) and Judson Hill (R) both received 8.8 percent of the vote. Democratic candidates combined to receive about 49 percent of the total vote, while Republican candidates combined to receive about 51 percent of the total vote.

Heading into the election, Democrat Jon Ossoff led the field according to polling data. He was trailed by the four Republican front-runners in the race: former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, businessman Bob Gray, state Sen. Judson Hill, and former state Sen. Dan Moody. Ossoff hovered around the 40 percent mark in the polls, while Handel consistently took second place with 15 to 20 percent. Gray consistently took third with 10 to 15 percent, and Hill and Moody averaged between five and ten percent.

Ossoff also led the field in fundraising by a substantial margin, raising over $8.3 million. Comparatively, only three U.S. House candidates raised more than $8.3 million during the entire 2016 election cycle, and Democratic congressional candidates in Georgia's 6th District raised a combined sum of $836,228 from 2000 to 2016. Moody raised over $2 million, 95 percent of which was self-funded. Gray's contributions totaled $717,500, and he loaned his campaign $500,000. Hill and Handel raised $523,032 and $463,744, respectively.

Each of the front-runners launched an ad campaign and had received at least one important endorsement in the race. The candidates largely focused on self-promotion in their ads and rarely criticized one another. Dan Moody was the only one to release an ad directly criticizing a fellow candidate, Karen Handel.

Noteworthy campaigning

See also: Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election, 2017

June 19 - House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joined Handel on the campaign trail in Alpharetta, Georgia.

June 9 - Vice President Mike Pence held a fundraiser for Karen Handel at the Cobb Energy Centre outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

May 15 - Speaker of the House Paul Ryan attended a campaign event with Republican candidate Karen Handel at the 5 Seasons Brewery in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Ryan spoke of the previous Republicans who have represented Georgia's 6th, including Newt Gingrich and Tom Price, adding "I can tell you this, but you already know it – Karen Handel is the only person capable of filling these big shoes."

April 28 - President Trump spoke at a fundraiser for Karen Handel in Atlanta, Georgia, and praised her during his remarks to a forum of the National Rifle Association on the same day.

April 18 - President Trump recorded a robocall supporting Republican candidates against Democrat Jon Ossoff in the April 18 special election for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

Special elections to the 115th U.S. Congress

See also: Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018)

In the 17 special elections called to fill vacancies in the 115th Congress in 2017 and 2018, nine Republicans and eight Democrats won. Four elections resulted in a partisan flip:

• Doug Jones (D), U.S. Senate in Alabama;
• Conor Lamb (D), Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District;
• Mary Gay Scanlon (D), Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District; and
• Susan Wild (D), Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District.

Results of special elections to the 115th Congress
Race	Election date	Incumbent	Winner	Election MOV	Previous election MOV	2016 Presidential election MOV
Kansas' 4th Congressional District	April 11, 2017	Mike Pompeo	Ron Estes	R+6	R+31	R+27
Montana's At-Large Congressional District	May 25, 2017	Ryan Zinke	Greg Gianforte	R+6	R+15	R+21
California's 34th Congressional District	June 6, 2017	Xavier Becerra	Jimmy Gomez	D+18	D+54	D+73
Georgia's 6th Congressional District	June 20, 2017	Tom Price	Karen Handel	R+4	R+24	R+1
South Carolina's 5th Congressional District	June 20, 2017	Mick Mulvaney	Ralph Norman	R+3	R+20	R+18
Utah's 3rd Congressional District	November 7, 2017	Jason Chaffetz	John Curtis	R+32	R+47	R+24
U.S. Senate in Alabama	December 12, 2017	Jeff Sessions	Doug Jones	D+2	R+28	R+28
Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District	March 13, 2018	Tim Murphy	Conor Lamb	D+0	R+100	R+19
Arizona's 8th Congressional District	April 24, 2018	Trent Franks	Debbie Lesko	R+6	R+38	R+21
Texas' 27th Congressional District	June 30, 2018	Blake Farenthold	Michael Cloud	R+23	R+24	R+23
Ohio's 12th Congressional District	August 7, 2018	Patrick Tiberi	Troy Balderson	R+1	R+40	R+11
Michigan's 13th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	John Conyers Jr.	Brenda Jones	D+78	D+61	D+61
U.S. Senate in Minnesota	November 6, 2018	Al Franken	Tina Smith	D+11	D+10	D+2
U.S. Senate in Mississippi	November 6, 2018	Thad Cochran	Cindy Hyde-Smith	R+8	R+22	R+18
New York's 25th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	Louise Slaughter	Joseph Morelle	D+16	D+12	D+16
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	Patrick Meehan	Mary Gay Scanlon	D+6	R+19	D+2
Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	Charlie Dent	Susan Wild	D+0	R+20	R+8

District history

2016

See also: Georgia's 6th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Tom Price (R) defeated Rodney Stooksbury (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent on May 24, 2016.

U.S. House, Georgia District 6 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tom Price Incumbent	61.7%	201,088
	Democratic	Rodney Stooksbury	38.3%	124,917
Total Votes				326,005
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

2014

See also: Georgia's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 6th Congressional District of Georgia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Tom Price (D) defeated challenger Robert Montigel (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Georgia District 6 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tom Price Incumbent	66.04%	139,018
	Democratic	Robert Montigel	33.96%	71,486
Total Votes				210,504
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

See also

• April 18 special election in Georgia's 6th Congressional District
• Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018)
• Georgia's 6th Congressional District
• Tom Price

Footnotes

[show]

Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jon Ossoff (D)

Raphael Warnock (D)

Representatives

District 1

Earl Carter (R)

District 2

Sanford Bishop (D)

District 3

Brian Jack (R)

District 4

Hank Johnson (D)

District 5

Nikema Williams (D)

District 6

Lucy McBath (D)

District 7

Rich McCormick (R)

District 8

Austin Scott (R)

District 9

Andrew Clyde (R)

District 10

Mike Collins (R)

District 11

Barry Loudermilk (R)

District 12

Rick Allen (R)

District 13

David Scott (D)

District 14

Marjorie Greene (R)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (7)