‘So Bring It On!’
Democrat Jon Ossoff won 48.1 percent of the vote in the special election to replace Tom Price, the Georgia Republican congressman snatched up by President Donald Trump to head the Dept. of Health and Human Services. 50 percent was needed to avoid a runoff, so Ossoff will face Republican Karen Handel on June 20. Handel is the former Komen for the Cure executive who harmed the women’s breast cancer non-profit when she tried to defund the group’s support of Planned Parenthood.
Ossoff’s performance was outstanding. He is the first Democrat in over three decades to come close to winning a seat in that Georgia district which gave the nation Newt Gingrich and other notable Republicans.Â
Just 30 years old, Ossoff managed to wallop the GOP, which had 11 candidates on the ballot. Winning 92,390, Ossoff beat the top three Republican candidates combined, and feel just 200 votes of beating the top four Republicans.
Here’s Ossoff talking to supporters just before midnight Tuesday, before all the votes had been counted and posted:
Turnout was heavy and there were some polls with technical challenges which delayed the results.Â
President Donald Trump has clearly been concerned about Ossoff, posting a handful of tweets over the past few days about the race and attacking Ossoff, along with recording a robocall against him.
But Ossoff had a lot of support behind him, including civil rights icon John Lewis, for whom Ossoff interned while in high school.
Ossoff grew up in Georgia. He has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, a Master of Science degree from London School of Economics, and he was a national security staffer and aide to Rep. Hank Johnson. In high school he interned for civil rights icon, Rep. John Lewis. He also owns and runs a documentary film studio that investigates corrupt officials. Â
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