Georgia House Election Results: Dems, GOP Claim Win As Ossoff, Handel Face Runoff

EAST COBB, GA — Morning dawned on the 6th District Wednesday with overcast skies, the regular traffic woes and, for some, a renewed political enthusiasm. Hours after first-time candidate Jon Ossoff fell just short of an outright win in his bid for a Congress seat representing Georgia's 6th congressional district, the smell of victory — for Democrats and Republicans alike — was still in the air. Republicans, led by top contender Karen Handel, billed the night as a triumphant rebuke of outside forces intent on propping up an upstart candidate on their turf.

The Democrats saw the election results as a clear sign that voters soundly reject the Trump administration's ideology.

Final election results from the Georgia Secretary of State showed that Ossoff soundly won the night against a crowded field, tallying 48.10 percent of 92,390 votes. The Republicans followed, led by Handel's 19.78 percent; Bob Gray with 10.81 percent, Dan Moody at 8.85 percent and Judson Hill at 8.77 percent. SIGN UP: To get notified of the results of this election instantly, click here to sign up for the East Cobb Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

For the 6th District — Atlanta's northern suburbs including affluent parts of Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties — it means a battle royale between Ossoff and Handel featuring plenty more political ads culminating in a June 20 runoff.

Read more: Ga. 6th District Election Results: Runoff As Ossoff Drops Under 50 Percent

Trump did all he could to bolster the Republicans, including recording a robocall, attacking Ossoff repeatedly via Twitter and even blaming "FAKE news." Although he didn't endorse her during the race, Wednesday morning, he called Handel by name in a tweet.

Tuesday's election ran relatively smoothly in DeKalb and Cobb, but Fulton experienced issues all day, none greater than a glitch toward the end of the night that froze the electoral process, stalled political watch parties and added unneeded suspense. The problem meant that elections workers had to count hundreds of ballots by hand to discover the error.

"We had a technical error with one of the memory cards, so we had to upload that again. It took us awhile," Richard Barron, Fulton's registration and elections director, told local media. "According to Kennesaw State, it's a very rare error that happens."

When the smoke cleared, Ossoff emerged somewhat as a victor, along with Handel, who cautioned that a fractious race with 18 candidates is one thing, but a runoff between two contenders will bring the full might of the Republican Party.

Ossoff released a statement early Wednesday, saying that the race was a bona fide victory for Democrats and people who reject Trump's ideology: “This is already a remarkable victory. We defied the odds, shattered expectations, and now are ready to fight on and win in June. They said it couldn’t be done. And when they realized we were ahead, they threw millions of dollars against us. But no amount of dark super-PAC money can overcome real grassroots energy."

Backed by a grassroots campaign that dared voters, many of them millennials, to "Make Trump Furious," Ossoff was able to best 17 other candidates in what many described as a litmus test of Trump's popularity. The 30-year-old investigative filmmaker was able to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment in a district that has voted Republican for decades.

Still, the 6th District loss for the GOP is a seismic shock for Republicans, who may start to worry about their footing in the electoral landscape.

Outside groups — GOP-backed and Democratic — spent millions in the race to replace the seat vacated by Roswell doctor Tom Price, who is now the nation's health secretary.

Ben Ray Luján, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, said that Ossoff, a first-time candidate, had tapped into anti-Trump sentiment in a Republican stronghold and found a wellspring of Democratic enthusiasm.

“By earning over 48%, Ossoff has already defied the odds in this long-held Republican seat, and it’s clear that he has the enthusiasm and support he needs to be a very strong contender against Karen Handel in the runoff.

“Not only are these results an indication of Ossoff’s impressive grassroots campaign and powerful economic message, it’s clear that voters strongly oppose Republican-controlled Washington and its priorities, and are ready to send more independent voices to Congress,” he said.

Among the three counties that make up the 6th District, political pundits forecast that north Fulton would likely see the biggest voter turnout because it benefited from a couple of city council elections as well in Johns Creek and Roswell.
The staunchly conservative area is home to three of the most well-known Republicans in the race — Bob Gray, Handel and Dan Moody — who no doubt know many of the same power players on their turf.

DeKalb is the most Democratic-leaning county — and home to Ossoff, who lives in the Northlake area.

East Cobb resident and former Sen. Judson Hill has tremendous name recognition working for him in Cobb. He vacated his Senate seat so that he could run in the 6th District race.

In a sign of the seriousness that the GOP is placing on the race, the National Republican Congressional Committee released an ad Wednesday morning targeting Ossoff.

Image via Joe Raedle / Getty News Images Staff