Jon Ossoff Vs. Karen Handel: What National Media Are Saying About Georgia Race: ICYMI

EAST COBB, GA -- On the heels of Tuesday's special election for the 6th congressional district seat in the Georgia House, Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff have become household names across much of the nation.

Tuesday's election results, which saw first-time candidate Ossoff come up just short of winning the race outright, indicate that the two will continue to make headlines not only in the 6th District, which covers parts of Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties, but across the United States.

Many national news outlets cast the candidates as polar opposites -- one an establishment politician friendly with the state's elite, the other a political newcomer who has reinvigorated the electorate. Here is what many in the national media have been saying about Ossoff and Handel:

The New York Times highlighted a seeming estrangement between Handel and Trump:

Ms. Handel, 55, has portrayed herself as a Trump supporter, though she was less fervent in her backing for him than were the other Republican candidates in the race, who adopted Mr. Trump’s catchphrases and style in an attempt to stand out.

The news website Mic had this to say about Ossoff:

Though the GOP has tried to portray Ossoff as an inexperienced frat boy, he holds a Master's of Science from the London School of Economics and produced his thesis on U.S.-China trade relations.

The Washington Post focused on Ossoff's personal life, highlighting a CNN interview where the 30-year-old investigative filmmaker dodged comments about his fiancee.

Ossoff acknowledged in a CNN interview that he lives with his girlfriend near Emory University, which is outside of the district.
“I’ve been living with my girlfriend, Alisha, for 12 years now down by Emory University where she’s a full-time medical student,” Ossoff said. “As soon as she concludes her medical training, I’ll be 10 minutes back up the street in the district where I grew up.”
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, intrigued, then asked, “So when are you going to marry her?”
“Well, I don’t want to give anything away,” Ossoff said. “I’ll give you a call when I have something to announce.”

Even White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer weighed in on the race, criticizing how the national media portrayed the election results.

"They lost. And the reaction has somewhat been that they almost won. No, they lost. They made very clear what their goal was in this race. They spent $8.3 million and threw everything, including the kitchen sink at it, and lost."

The 6th District seat in the Georgia House became available in February when U.S. Rep. Tom Price, a Roswell doctor, was tapped by the Trump administration to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Price had served the district since 2005.

Ossoff and Handel, the top vote-getters in an 18-candidate field, will square off in a June 20 runoff election.

Read more: Gov. Deal Endorses Handel For 6th District Runoff Election

Read more: Dems, GOP Claim Win As Ossoff, Handel Face Runoff

Read more: Georgia 6th District Election Results: Ossoff Drops Under 50 Percent

Image via Patch file photo