The AP Takes a Sober Look at the Democrats

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The Georgia victory was an important win for the Republican party, following Mr Ossoff's better-than-expected performance in the first-round election last month, but has left Democrats frustrated after a record-breaking funding drive failed to generate a win.

Tuesday's highly-anticipated runoff was the most expensive House campaign in history, with a price tag of more than $50 million.

Republicans have won four special House elections since Trump took office - Handel's victory and a SC race Tuesday; a Montana victory last month and one in Kansas in April.

Democrats had hoped a victory by Democrat Jon Ossoff over Republican Karen Handel would be a referendum against President Trump, and give them momentum and a winning strategy to succeed in other races.

Win or lose, 2018 could be a strong rebuilding year for Democrats, especially if they can channel the anti-Trump intensity into an even more compelling message to voters.

Ossoff and Handel both tried to focus on local issues and avoided mentioning Trump, whose approval rating sits at 37 percent, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

The House Democratic leader is seeking to reassure Democrats dejected after a loss in a Georgia special election where the party invested millions of dollars.

He said: 'Well, the Special Elections are over and those that want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN are 5 and O!

Despite Grumbling, GOP Senators Seek Vote On Health Care
That means the numbers of people receiving premium subsidies would gradually shrink as the maximum qualifying income was lowered. They don't tell you those they refer to are only bought Obamacare to dodge the IRS penalty for not having health coverage.

Handel, 55, fended off Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old Democrat and political newcomer who emerged from obscurity to raise $25 million from progressives across the country eager to express their anger at Trump.

Indeed, when Trump's White House tapped four Republican congressman for prominent posts in the GOP administration, the immediate assumption was that Republicans would have little trouble holding onto these seats.

'And we need to also lift up this nation so that we can find a more civil way to deal with our disagreements.

Handel thanked President Trump during her victory speech as well as Vice President Mike Pence, demonstrating a Republican party far more solid than anticipated.

"Republicans are going to get exhausted of winning if the Democrats don't get an agenda", White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on "Fox & Friends".

The Republican ended up taking home 52 percent of the vote. These are red districts where Trump picked cabinet members because he knew the GOP would likely win the contests for the seats they vacated.

Nationally, the party in power takes losses in midterm years, but that doesn't necessary apply in the gerrymandered districts of Texas. Price had won re-election last November by more than 20 points.

Democrats said they had turned a conservative stronghold into a competitive district.

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