But Trump carried the district by less than two points. Trump won the Southern state by about 5 percentage points in November's election. Democrats, meanwhile, will have to continue to keep their base motivated and engaged for what's a decidedly more hard climb. But he fell short of the majority needed to win outright.
This seat, which takes in the well-heeled suburbs of Atlanta, is usually safe territory for establishment Republicans, like former occupant Tom Price.
While Ossoff and national Democrats acknowledged that they hoped to win the seat outright Tuesday due to the crowded and fractured GOP field, Ossoff will likely enter the runoff with Handel as a slight favorite.
Many Democrats moved quickly to frame the energy around Ossoff's bid as a damaging referendum on Trump as he nears the 100-day mark of a presidency so far defined by an early stumble on health care legislation and a GOP split into bickering factions.
The Republicans' strategy seemed to work. Ossoff appeared to have built up a big lead early on in the night, but as totals trickled in, his share of the vote kept dropping.
"The myth of Jon Ossoff died tonight".
Unofficial results from the Georgia secretary of state put Ossoff at 48 percent the vote.
While Handel has said she thinks Trump is doing a good job, she didn't exactly wear her support for him on her sleeve.
Yes. Trump was helpful, but not in the way he imagined.
Handel is familiar to voters in the district.
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Trump said once they complete health-care reform, they will quickly move on to other top priorities. Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt that he would "certainly show tax returns if it was necessary".
Ossoff outperformed Hillary Clinton in Cobb and DeKalb counties and was running ahead of Clinton's numbers in Fulton County as well.
In an interview last month, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez - who led the Civil Rights Division during President Barack Obama's first term - said voters would hear "a lot" about Handel's efforts to require voters to prove their citizenship if she advanced to the runoff. "Tomorrow we start the campaign anew", she said.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has reported that Republicans and Democrats have spent a combined $14 million on ad blitzes.
Democrats, however, argue that Handel must now combat high negatives from her two statewide races. Democrat Jon Ossoff will face Republican Karen Handel in June.
For Ossoff now, the challenge will be keeping up the momentum he's built. His run attracted more than $8 million in donations, which largely came from outside the state.
"They were ringing my phone off the hook", said Kim Fambro, 45, who said the outreach convinced her to vote for Ossoff.
National attention on the Georgia race, already significant, intensified after last week's closer-than-expected GOP victory in a Kansas special House election. The California Democrat remains an unpopular figure in the district. Hank Johnson and John Lewis and $250,000 in cash.
"The eyes of the whole nation are on us". We are changing the world. This is about the kind of community we want to live in. With the slogan: "Make Trump Furious", he aims to galvanize opposition to a president who is struggling with low approval ratings. If the president's Twitter account was any indication these past few days, they'd done just that.
Democrats saw it as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Trump and congressional Republicans fearful that he could drag down the party in the 2018 midterms - while also delivering a psychic boost to an energized progressive base. "Republicans, get out and vote!", he continued tweeting.
Ossoff grew up in Georgia's Sixth District, born to a Jewish father and Australian mother. They said it couldn't be done.
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