Could The 6th District Race End In A Runoff?

EAST COBB, GA -- The race to represent Georgia's 6th District in Congress may well end in a runoff, according to political pundits.

Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff is leading the race one day before the special election comes to a head. Most polls have the first-time candidate with about 43 percent of the vote, which is 7 percent short of the 50 percent margin he needs to be declared the outright winner. The second-leading candidate, Karen Handel, is hovering around 20 percent. The former Secretary of State hopes she can get the other GOP candidates to throw their support behind her, so that she can make up the gap between herself and Ossoff.

The race is the most closely watched congressional contest by far and is regarded as a litmus test of President Trump's popularity on the local level. The Democrats are hoping the district can be "flipped" after Trump's 1.5 percentage point win against Hillary Clinton in the November presidential election.

Read more: 6th District election coverage, polling stations, info

Ossoff, an investigative filmmaker, is one of 18 candidates who, for the past two months, have courted voters in a "jungle primary," meaning that regardless of party affiliation, the highest vote-getter wins.

The 6th District seat became available when Roswell doctor and U.S. Rep. Tom Price vacated the seat to serve in the Trump Administration as the nation's health secretary.

If Ossoff fails to win 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between him and the next-highest vote-getter will take place on June 20. Republicans Bob Gray, Dan Moody and Judson Hill all have a shot to catch Handel on Tuesday, but it will take strong voter turnout.

The 6th district, which includes parts of Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb counties, has been strongly Republican for more than two decades.

Read more: Alyssa Milano Offers Free Rides To Voters In Ga. Congressional Race

Read more: NRA Releases Grades For 6th District Candidates

Read more: 6th District Race: Handel Gets Chambliss Endorsement

Read more: 6th District Race: 4 Candidates Attend GOP Debate In East Cobb

Read more: 6th District Race: Sen. David Perdue Endorses Dan Moody

Read more: District 6 Race: Early Voting Bodes Well For Ossoff

Photo Credit: Alison Bauter/Patch Staff