The race between Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff.
And on Tuesday night, Democrats came up short in the single-most winnable special election of 2017: The suburban Atlanta 6th District of Georgia. Shares on the likelihood of Ossoff winning closed above shares on Handel winning continuously since May 16 and saw spreads reaching as high as 36 cents on June 11.
DUNWOODY, Ga. (AP) - Returns from absentee and early voting show the tight race that is expected in Georgia's 6th Congressional District, where Republicans are trying to stave off a major upset ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Ossoff's campaign attracted national attention for presenting a significant challenge to Handel in a district that is traditionally heavily Republican and inciting the most expensive House race in history, weighing in at over $50 million.
Some political insiders say this could be a litmus test for President Donald Trump's performance so far, and the results could foreshadow what will happen in the 2018 elections.
Georgia's outcome followed similar results in Montana, Kansas and SC, where Republicans won special House races by much narrower margins than they managed in November.
Nearly $50 million is being spent on this race, with every Democratic consultant helping Ossoff in order to clinch a post-2016 win for the party. "Democrats from coast to coast threw everything they had at this race, and Karen would not be defeated", House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. Party leaders profess encouragement from the trends, but the latest losses mean they will have to rally donors and volunteers after a tough stretch of special elections. Both candidates took part in a run-off election on Tuesday, and despite Ossoff's money advantage, Handel was able to protect the seat for the GOP and continue the decades-long tradition of having a Republican represent the 6th district.
Here's what you need to know about the special election set into motion by former Rep. Tom Price's acceptance as Trump's new Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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However, it was Trump's collapse - besting Hillary Clinton by just 1.5 points in the district in 2016 - that led Democrats to believe it could be in play.
Ossoff stood out in the rain with a group of supporters at an intersection, waving at cars and holding up signs. Though Ossoff won the April 18 special election to take the seat, he didn't get a majority of votes, which triggered the runoff. Ossoff hopes to maximize the district's Democratic base and pick up just enough independents and moderate Republicans who don't align with Trump.
Republicans, meanwhile, can now breathe a sigh of relief with the knowledge that they can still win in the kind of affluent, educated districts that often favor Democrats - even with a president who has divided voters in their own party.
Voters have taken part in the costliest congressional election in United States history.
Handel also thanked House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), who was shot and left in critical condition during a congressional baseball practice last week. Handel's win shows that even Republican voters who may have been reluctant to embrace Trump will still come home to vote for more traditional GOP candidates.
"Gone are the days of Blue Dogs who actively campaign as Republicans", said Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. A super PAC backed by Ryan spent $7 million alone.
Her win comes after losing bids for governor in 2010 and the Senate in 2014, and it builds on a business and political career she built after leaving an abusive home as a teen. She wasn't sure how many people were given those directions.
"He wishes he could vote like me, because he doesn't live in the district", Handel said, according to the Hill. "I've lived here for almost 25 years and I think that's going to make a big difference to the voters in this district".
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