6th District Race: Cobb Board Of Commissioners Chairman Endorses Handel

WEST COBB, GA -- Add another Cobb County endorsement for 6th District candidate Karen Handel. On Friday, Cobb Commissioner Chairman Mike Boyce threw his support behind Handel in the critical race to represent the 6th District, the affluent Atlanta suburbs encompassing parts of Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties.

"As the sitting Chairman of Cobb County, I know the challenges Karen Handel encountered as the Chairman of board of commissioners for Fulton County and I know she is up to the task," Boyce said in a statement. "I strongly endorse her and encourage everyone to vote for her."

6th District Race: Handel Wishes Ossoff 'Congratulations' On Engagement

Boyce, a retired Marine colonel, is a Republican like Handel but not long ago he shared the outlier status that 6th District Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff is trying to capitalize on. In last year's runoff race for the Cobb chairmanship, Boyce was the political newcomer, having never held office. But he beat incumbent Chairman Tim Lee, seizing on voters' displeasure with the secrecy surrounding the Atlanta Braves' relocation to Cobb.

In a similar vein, Ossoff is trying to capitalize on Cobb voters' seeming uneasiness about President Donald Trump. Although the 6th District has been solidly Republican for the past two decades, last November's presidential race gave Democrats hope that attitudes about the GOP were changing; Trump escaped with a razor-thin 1.5 percentage point win against Hillary Clinton.

With the June 20 runoff more than a month away, the race is neck in neck, with the latest poll showing a slight edge to Handel.

Boyce's backing of Handel comes after East Cobb County Commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Burell also backed the former Secretary of State.

Image via Handel campaign