Election seen as President Donald Trump test set for run-off

WASHINGTON

A Democrat came close to outright victory in Tuesday’s closely watched US congressional primary in Georgia, heading to a run-off in a race that Democrats tout as an early test of resistance to President Donald Trump.

Jon Ossoff, 30, came in first in a crowded field of candidates in a traditionally conservative 6th district, but narrowly fell short of passing the all-important 50 per cent threshold.

With 100 per cent of precincts reporting, Ossoff finished far ahead with 48.1 percent support. The nearest Republican — former state secretary of state Karen Handel — came in at just 19.8 percent.

Winning the June 20 run-off will be a steeper challenge for Ossoff, however, as Handel will almost certainly benefit from her party coalescing around a single candidate in a conservative-leaning district.

But Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker and former congressional aide, told energised supporters before all the returns were in that he and Democrats “shattered expectations” with their performance.

VICTORY FOR AGES

“There is no doubt that this is already a victory for the ages,” Ossoff said.

“No matter what the outcome is tonight — whether we take it all or whether we fight on — we have defied the odds. We have shattered expectations.”

As two candidates advance to a head-to-head vote, Democrats still hope that Ossoff can capitalize on Trump’s lackluster popularity and make the race a test of the president’s first 100 days.

A shock upset in the national spotlight, the argument goes, would deeply embarrass the president and could jumpstart efforts to retake control of the House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections.

Georgia’s 6th district is in the relatively affluent and conservative suburbs of Atlanta. It has remained a Republican fortress since 1978 when it was won by Newt Gingrich.

Ossoff is running in a special election there to replace congressman Tom Price, who resigned to become Trump’s health secretary.

TRUMP WEIGHS IN

Under normal circumstances a Republican win would be in little doubt. But Trump’s approval rating lags at around 40 percent in a Gallup tracking poll — a record low for an incoming president.

A new Gallup poll shows just 45 percent of Americans think Trump will keep his campaign promises, down from 62 percent in early February.

The Ossoff political threat drew the personal interest of Trump, who recorded a robocall urging Republicans to troop to the polls and block the Democratic upstart.

Early Wednesday Trump weighed in again, claiming that a Republican finishing with less than 20 percent support was a victory.

“Despite major outside money, FAKE media support and eleven Republican candidates, BIG “R” win with runoff in Georgia. Glad to be of help!” Trump tweeted.

FAILED TO INSPIRE VOTERS

The Republican National Committee praised Handel’s performance, with Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel congratulating her “for emerging from a large and qualified Republican field.”
“These liberal Democrats failed to inspire voters,” McDaniel said in a RNC statement.

In the run-up to Tuesday’s vote Ossoff had marshalled an army of volunteers, and reportedly amassed millions of dollars in out-of-state contributions by Democratic groups.

Liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org in a statement called Ossoff’s first-place finish “a huge triumph for the Resistance and for progressives.”

“The reason is clear: voters are rejecting Trump and his policies.”