There's little question the result amounted to a pretty bad return on investment for California donors in what became the most expensive House race in USA history.
In a letter to Democrats late Wednesday, Pelosi insisted majority control of the House is up for grabs. The fact that that level of investment failed to pay off with a win against a Republican candidate widely viewed as uninspiring left Democrats frustrated and dispirited heading into the 2018 midterm elections.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., left, walks offstage after speaking at an election night party for Democratic candidate for 6th Congressional District Jon Ossoff in Atlanta, Tuesday, June 20, 2017.
"We're not focusing on the economic messages". Initially, Ossoff's mantra was "Make Trump Furious".
He doesn't expect the district's leanings to change in the coming years either, betting that its makeup of well-educated and well-off voters will give Republicans "with a strong platform, a good history and a good record" a path to victory. He modulated his rhetoric, calling for fiscal conservatism in his ads and focusing on jobs. "We are the party that stands up for working families and the middle class, yet many of them are not voting for us". It was civil disobedience rather than civil unrest.
Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill two days after Democrat Jon Ossoff's stinging loss in Georgia's 6th District, Pelosi said to her critics: "I think I'm worth the trouble".
Handel didn't run with Trump, and Ossoff barely mentioned him lest he'd have scared off Republicans who weren't particularly enamored with Handel. Ossoff was able to assemble more than 12,000 volunteers and six field offices, with dozens of staffers.
Handel, 55, has been a fixture of local politics for 15 years. His closest rival, former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, won just 11 percent of the vote.
"I believe one of the reasons they did it is I'm an effective leader".
Total spending in the race topped $50 million. His Democratic opponent, Archie Parnell, was largely ignored by the Democratic National Committee and ran a relatively low-budget campaign.
Turns out, both sides can be right this time.
Matsuyama welcomes learning curve at US Open
I scrapped a little bit for it but I felt fine. "I just wanted to be home, even though I was about to win the third one". The back nine for Koepka was his wheelhouse this past weekend, only boogying once in four rounds, hole 10 on Sunday.
"This is not anything personal between me and Nancy Pelosi".
Why the relentless focus on the Democratic congresswoman from San Francisco? They managed to win, but by margins significantly slimmer than their predecessors.
Republicans' ability to effectively use Pelosi as their bogeyman in Georgia was especially stark when contrasted with the Democrats' tactics there.
"We saw four close races in ruby-red districts, and while a win would have been great, we showed our ability to build capacity", Fischer said. Other outside groups and Handel also focused on this theme.
"They've spent over $100 million dollars demonizing me", Pelosi said. Even among Republicans, his approval rating is 72 percent - down 11 points since April. Handel emphasized that pedigree often during her campaign and again during her victory speech. Rightly or wrongly, the president perceives her victory as a mandate.
At a campaign-style rally in Iowa on Wednesday evening, President Trump praised recent GOP special election victories and his administration's accomplishments to date, while criticizing the media and Democrats.
Congratulations to Karen Handel on her big win in Georgia 6th. "If we don't, then I think it's incumbent upon her and all of us to reassess who our leadership should be".
In case you missed it, there was a special election in Georgia on Tuesday. "We passed the Affordable Care Act, we passed Dodd-Frank", she added. "This race proves Republicans have no reason to be defensive as a result of Obamacare's demise, it shows Republicans have nothing to hide from in the age of Trump and it signifies that nothing about the current faux-scandal-ridden environment has produced a downdraft for Republicans".
Handel commended Ossoff and pledged to work for his supporters.
Ossoff defeated Handel by roughly 58%-42% in the DeKalb County portion of the district where there are more African-American voters, but it made up less than a fourth of the overall electorate in the district.
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