Bannon Closely Watching Ossoff, 6th District Race: Report

EAST COBB, GA -- The 6th District race has the attention of the Republican Party's upper echelon, evidenced by the fact that none other than President Trump Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is paying close attention, Patch has learned.

In a recent New York Magazine story, Bannon had this to say about first-time Democrat Jon Ossoff:

"Ossoff running smart campaign,” Bannon reportedly texted Olivia Nuzzi, the author of the piece. She said that Trump's closest adviser had a surrogate keeping track of everything 6th District-related.

“It’s something that I’m tracking specifically for Bannon,” the official said, “and keeping an eye on, following all the polls, following the kind of narrative out there — so it’s definitely something we’re paying attention to and the political department’s paying attention to as well.”

The admission symbolizes not only the importance the White House is attaching to the 6th District, which includes affluent areas of Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb counties, but it also shows the threat the GOP believes Ossoff is.

Ossoff, a first-time candidate, is one of 18 candidates seeking to replace Tom Price, who vacated his seat to serve as the nation's health secretary. But the 30-year-old investigative filmmaker leading the field with about 40 percent while his closest contender, former Secretary of State Karen Handel is hovering around 18 percent.

Although the district has been strongly Republican for more than two decades, Democrats believe they can "flip the Sixth" after Trump's razor-thin victory over Hillary Clinton in November.

The race's special election is scheduled for April 18, and a runoff is slated for June 20.

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