2017 Georgia's 6th congressional district special election
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A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 6th congressional district was held on April 18, 2017, with a runoff held two months later on June 20. Republican Karen Handel narrowly defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the runoff vote, 51.8% to 48.2%. Handel succeeded Tom Price, who resigned from the seat following his confirmation as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration. The runoff election was necessary when no individual candidate earned the majority of votes in the election on April 18. Ossoff received 48.1% of the vote in the first round, followed by Handel with 19.8%.
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April 18, 2017
June 20, 2017 (runoff) | |||||||||||||||||
Georgia's 6th congressional district | |||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 58.16% | ||||||||||||||||
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Handel: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Ossoff: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 50% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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Georgia's state law requires the governor of Georgia to call for a special election to be held at least 30 days after a vacancy. Following Price's resignation, Governor Nathan Deal called for the special election to be held on April 18,[1] with a filing window for prospective candidates from February 13 to 15, 2017.[2] All candidates ran on one ballot, with a runoff election scheduled for the first- and second-place finishers, if no candidate received 50% of the vote.[3] Neither Ossoff nor Handel received a majority, and despite Ossoff finishing nearly 30 points ahead in the first round, Handel nonetheless prevailed in the runoff election, though she would ultimately lose reelection in 2018 to Democrat Lucy McBath. Ossoff would later go on to be elected a United States senator, defeating incumbent David Perdue in the 2021 runoff election.
The election attracted exceptional national interest, with both major parties perceiving it as an opportunity to shape the political narrative prior to the 2018 midterm elections.[4][5] The district has a history of favoring GOP House candidates by large margins, but Trump won it by just 1% in 2016, making Democrats hopeful to win a normally strong GOP district. A total of $50 million was spent as of the close of early-voting period on June 17, making it the most expensive House election in history.[6] Of that, more than $40 million was spent on television and radio advertising alone, smashing past House election records.[7] A very high number of voters—140,000—cast ballots during the runoff-election early-voting period.[6]
Candidates
Republican Party
Declared
- David Abroms, businessman[8]
- Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan, economist[9]
- Keith Grawert, former USAF pilot[10]
- Bob Gray, businessman and Johns Creek City councilman[11]
- Karen Handel, former secretary of state of Georgia, candidate for governor in 2010, and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014[12]
- Judson Hill, former state senator[13]
- Amy Kremer, tea party activist[14]
- Bruce LeVell, businessman[3][15]
- William Llop, certified public accountant and candidate for GA-11 in 2012 and 2016[10]
- Dan Moody, former state senator[3][16]
- Kurt Wilson, businessman[17]
Withdrew
- Donnie Bolena, candidate for mayor of Sandy Springs in 2009[18][citation needed]
- S.M. Abu Zahed, aviation engineer[19]
Declined
- John Albers, state senator[20]
- Brandon Beach, state senator[3][21]
- John Isakson Jr., real estate developer and son of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson[22]
- Cade Joiner, small business owner[3]
- Jan Jones, state representative[3][23]
- Chuck Martin, state representative[3][24]
- Rusty Paul, mayor of Sandy Springs, former state senator and former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party[25]
- Betty Price, state representative and wife of Tom Price[3][14]
- Kelly Stewart, former Johns Creek City councilwoman[3]
Democratic Party
Declared
- Ragin Edwards, sales senior manager[19]
- Richard Keatley, college professor and former officer in the Navy[19]
- Jon Ossoff, filmmaker, media executive, investigative journalist, former congressional aide[26][27]
- Rebecca Quigg, physician[8]
- Ron Slotin, former state senator and candidate for GA-04 in 1996[23][28]
Withdrew
- Sally Harrell, former state representative (endorsed Jon Ossoff)[29][14]
- Josh McLaurin, attorney (endorsed Jon Ossoff)[23]
Declined
- Taylor Bennett, former state representative[3][30]
- Scott Holcomb, state representative[3][citation needed]
- Rob Teilhet, former state representative and candidate for attorney general in 2010[31]
Libertarian Party
Declined
Independent
Declared
Withdrew
- Joseph Pond, plumber[30]
Special election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[34] | Tossup | April 14, 2017 |
Endorsements
- William Kristol, political analyst and commentator, founder and editor of The Weekly Standard[citation needed]
- Austin Petersen, candidate for president of the United States in 2016[35]
Organizations
Federal politicians
Federal politicians
- David Perdue, U.S. senator (R-GA)
Polling
| Poll source |
Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
David Abroms (R) |
Bob Gray (R) |
Karen Handel (R) |
Judson Hill (R) |
Bruce LeVell (R) |
Dan Moody (R) |
Jon Ossoff (D) |
Ron Slotin (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZPolitics/Clout Research (R)[39] | April 14–15, 2017 | 453 LV | ± 4.6% | 3% | 17% | 15% | 10% | 1% | 9% | 41% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Emerson College[40] | April 13–15, 2017 | 324 LV | ± 5.4% | 2% | 15% | 17% | 6% | 0% | 9% | 43% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| WSB/Landmark Communications[41] | April 12–13, 2017 | 500 LV | ± 4.2% | – | 9% | 17% | 8% | – | 8% | 45% | – | 5% | 7% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[42] | April 13, 2017 | 437 LV | ± 4.6% | 1% | 11% | 21% | 11% | 0% | 9% | 42% | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| Revily[43] | April 10–12, 2017 | 485 LV | ± 4.5% | – | 16% | 17% | 7% | – | 9% | 45% | 0% | 1% | 6% |
| RRH Elections/Decision Desk HQ[44] | April 5–10, 2017 | 321 LV | ± 5% | 3% | 12% | 15% | 10% | 0% | 11% | 39% | 4% | – | 6% |
| Meeting Street Research (R-Moody)[45] | April 4, 2017 | 400 LV | ± 4.9% | – | – | 12% | 10% | – | 12% | 43% | – | 14% | 9% |
| WXIA-TV Atlanta/Survey USA[46] | March 27 – April 2, 2017 | 503 LV | ± 4.5% | 2% | 14% | 15% | 5% | 1% | 7% | 43% | 0% | 7% | 7% |
| MoveOn/Lake Research Partners (D)[47] | March 26–28, 2017 | 350 LV | ± 5.2% | – | 7% | 18% | 8% | 0% | 7% | 40% | 1% | 1% | 19% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[48] | March 22–23, 2017 | 462 | ± 4.5% | 2% | 10% | 20% | 10% | 0.4% | 8% | 40% | 1% | 3% | 6% |
| ZPolitics/Clout Research (R)[49] | March 15–16, 2017 | 625 LV | ± 3.7% | 2% | 16% | 16% | 9% | 1% | 5% | 41% | 3% | 2% | 6% |
| Trafalgar Group (R)[50] | March 2–3, 2017 | 450+ LV | ± 4.5% | — | 13% | 18% | 8% | 0% | 2% | 18% | 3% | — | 34% |
| ZPolitics/Clout Research (R)[51] | February 17–18, 2017 | 694 LV | ± 3.7% | — | 11% | 25% | 9% | 1% | 2% | 32% | — | 3% | 18% |
| Landmark/Rosetta Stone[52] | December 1, 2016 | 500 LV | ± 4.2% | — | — | 22% | 8% | — | — | — | — | 14%[53] | 56% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jon Ossoff | 92,673 | 48.12 | |
| Republican | Karen Handel | 38,071 | 19.77 | |
| Republican | Bob Gray | 20,802 | 10.80 | |
| Republican | Dan Moody | 17,028 | 8.84 | |
| Republican | Judson Hill | 16,870 | 8.76 | |
| Republican | Kurt Wilson | 1,820 | 0.95 | |
| Republican | David Abroms | 1,639 | 0.85 | |
| Democratic | Ragin Edwards | 504 | 0.26 | |
| Democratic | Ron Slotin | 491 | 0.25 | |
| Republican | Bruce LeVell | 455 | 0.24 | |
| Republican | Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan | 415 | 0.22 | |
| Republican | Keith Grawert | 415 | 0.22 | |
| Republican | Amy Kremer | 351 | 0.18 | |
| Republican | William Llop | 326 | 0.17 | |
| Democratic | Rebecca Quigg | 304 | 0.16 | |
| Democratic | Richard Keatley | 229 | 0.12 | |
| Independent | Alexander Hernandez | 121 | 0.06 | |
| Independent | Andre Pollard | 55 | 0.03 | |
| Total votes | 192,569 | 100.00 | ||
| Plurality | 54,602 | 28.35 | ||
Runoff
On April 18, 2017, no candidate received 50% of the vote in the blanket primary ("jungle primary").[55] Ossoff led with about 48.1% of the vote, Republican candidate Karen Handel received 19.8%, and the remainder of votes were scattered for 16 other candidates.[56][57] Because no candidate secured an absolute majority, the top two-vote-getters, Ossoff and Handel, competed in a runoff election on June 20, 2017.[58][57] Ossoff won all but 1% of the Democratic vote, while the Republican vote was more heavily split. Republicans collectively won 51.2% of the overall vote.[59]
Ossoff broke national fundraising records for a U.S. House candidate.[60] In total, Ossoff's campaign raised more than $23 million, two-thirds of which was contributed by small-dollar donors nationwide.[61] Ossoff's opponent, Karen Handel, and national Republican groups attacked Ossoff for raising significant small-dollar contributions from outside of Georgia, although Handel's campaign received the bulk of its support from super PACs and other outside groups, including those funded anonymously by so-called "dark money".[62][63] Combined spending by the campaigns and outside groups on their behalf added up to over $55 million, which was the most expensive House Congressional election in U.S. history.[64] During the campaign, Republican strategy focused on connecting Ossoff to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a polarizing and unpopular figure; Ossoff declined to say whether he would, if elected, support Pelosi for Speaker of the House.[65]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[66] | Tossup | April 19, 2017 |
| Inside Elections[67] | Tossup | June 12, 2017 |
Endorsements
Federal officials
U.S. cabinet and cabinet-level officials
- Sonny Perdue, U.S. secretary of agriculture and former governor of Georgia[69]
- Tom Price, U.S. secretary of Health and Human services and former representative[70]
U.S. senators
- Saxby Chambliss, former U.S. senator (R-GA)[71]
- Ted Cruz, U.S. senator (R-TX)
- Johnny Isakson, U.S. senator (R-GA)[71]
- David Perdue, U.S. senator (R-GA)
- Marco Rubio, U.S. senator (R-FL)
U.S. representatives
- Greg Gianforte, U.S. representative (R-MT)[72]
- Barry Loudermilk, U.S. representative (R-GA)
- Kevin McCarthy, U.S. House majority leader (R-CA)[73]
- Paul Ryan, U.S. House speaker (R-WI)[74]
Governors
- Nathan Deal, governor of Georgia[71]
- Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and 2012 presidential nominee[71]
Statewide elected officials
- Mike Bowers, former attorney general of Georgia
- Tim Echols, public service commissioner
Local officeholders
- D.C. Aiken, former Alpharetta councilmember
- JoAnn Birrell, Cobb County commissioner
- Nancy Diamond, Roswell councilmember
- Steve Dorvee, former Roswell councilmember
- Chuck Eaton, public service commissioner
- Joe Gebbia, Brookhaven councilmember
- Jim Gilvin, Alpharetta councilmember
- Ashley Jenkins, former Sandy Springs councilmember
- Randall Johnson, former Johns Creek councilmember
- Mike Kenn, former Fulton County commission chair
- Arthur Lepchas, former Alpharetta mayor
- Joe Lockwood, Milton mayor
- Joe Longoria, Milton councilmember
- Bill Lusk, Milton councilmember
- Bates Mattison, Brookhaven mayor pro tem
- Karen Meinzen-McEnerny, former Sandy Springs councilmember
- Dan Merkel, Alpharetta councilmember
- Terry Nall, Dunwoody councilmember
- Bob Ott, Cobb County commissioner
- Chris Owens, Alpharetta mayor pro tem
- Rusty Paul, mayor of Sandy Springs, Georgia
- Michelle Penkara, member of the Tucker, Georgia City Council
- Donna Pittman, mayor of Doraville, Georgia
- Kristen Riley, former Roswell councilmember
- Jim Still, mayor of Mountain Park, Fulton County, Georgia
- Pam Tallmadge, Dunwoody councilmember
- Karen Thurman, Milton councilmember
- Honey Van De Kreke, Tucker councilmember
- Rebecca Chase Williams, former mayor of Brookhaven
- Becky Wynn, Roswell councilmember
Former candidates
- David Abroms, businessman[71]
- Bob Gray, businessman and Johns Creek councilmember[71]
- Judson Hill, former state senator[71]
- Bruce LeVell, businessman[71]
Organizations
Federal politicians
- Sanford Bishop, U.S. representative (D-GA)
- Julián Castro, former U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development[78]
- Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. senator (D-NV)
- Maggie Hassan, U.S. senator (D-NH)
- Hank Johnson, U.S. representative (D-GA)[27]
- John Lewis, U.S. representative (D-GA)[27]
- Tom Perez, chairman of Democratic National Committee and former U.S. secretary of Labor[79]
- Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator (I-VT)[80]
- David Scott, U.S. representative (D-GA)
- Eric Swalwell, U.S. representative (D-CA)
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator (D-MA)[81]
Statewide politicians
- Stacey Abrams, minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives[82]
- Roy Barnes, former governor of Georgia[83]
- Sally Harrell, former state representative[29][14]
- Jason Kander, former Missouri secretary of state (D-MO)[84]
Celebrities
- Misha Collins, actor and former White House intern[85]
- Anthony Fantano, music critic, video producer, journalist, and creator of The Needle Drop[86]
- Christopher Gorham, actor[87]
- Chelsea Handler, comedian and talk show host[citation needed]
- Samuel L. Jackson, actor and civil rights activist[citation needed]
- Rose McGowan, actress[85]
- Alyssa Milano, actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador[citation needed]
Organizations
- Democracy for America, progressive political action committee[88]
- Democrats for 2020, liberal news feed[89]
- End Citizens United, grassroots progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee[90]
- Friends of the Earth Action[91]
- League of Conservation Voters[92]
- National Jewish Democratic Council[93]
- Pride Fund to End Gun Violence PAC, progressive political action committee that "supports candidates who will act on sensible gun policy reforms while championing LGBTQ safety and equality"[94][95]
Websites
- Daily Kos, political news blog[96]
- Moveon.org, progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee[97]
Debates
Complete video of first debate, June 8, 2017.
Polling
Averages
| Model | Ossoff | Handel | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| HuffPost Pollster[98] | 49.3% | 47.0% | Ossoff +2.3 |
| RealClearPolitics[99] | 48.8% | 49.0% | Handel +0.2 |
| 270toWin[100] | 49.4% | 47.6% | Ossoff +1.8 |
| Daily Kos[citation needed] | 48.1% | 48.2% | Handel +0.1 |
| Plural Vote[101] | 49.8% | 50.2% | Handel +0.4 |
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of May 31, 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Karen Handel (R) | $4,285,398 | $3,069,138 | $1,404,177 |
| Jon Ossoff (D) | $23,600,861 | $21,356,350 | $1,068,251 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[102] | |||
Polls
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jon Ossoff (D) |
Karen Handel (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSB/Landmark Communications[103] | June 18, 2017 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 49% | 49% | 2% |
| Trafalgar Group[104] | June 17–18, 2017 | 1100 | ± 2.9% | 49% | 51% | 1% |
| WSB/Landmark Communications[105] | June 15, 2017 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 50% | 48% | 2% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[106] | June 14–15, 2017 | 537 | ± 4.2% | 50% | 49% | 1% |
| Trafalgar Group[107] | June 10–13, 2017 | 1100 | ± 2.9% | 50% | 47% | 2% |
| SurveyUSA[108] | June 7–11, 2017 | 700 | ± 4.5% | 47% | 47% | 6% |
| AJC/Abt Associates[109] | June 5–8, 2017 | 1000 | ± 4% | 51% | 44% | 5% |
| WSB/Landmark Communications[110] | June 6–7, 2017 | 420 | ± 4.8% | 50% | 47% | 3% |
| WSB/Landmark Communications[111] | May 30–31, 2017 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 49% | 48% | 3% |
| SurveyUSA[112] | May 16–20, 2017 | 549 | ± 4.3% | 51% | 44% | 6% |
| Gravis Marketing[113] | May 8–10, 2017 | 870 | ± 3.3% | 47% | 45% | 8% |
| WSB/Landmark Communications[114] | May 3–4, 2017 | 611 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 49% | 4% |
| GBA Strategies/House Majority PAC (D)[115] | April 29 – May 1, 2017 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 50% | 48% | 2% |
| Anzalone Liszt Grove Research (D)[116] | April 23–26, 2017 | 590 | ± 4.0% | 48% | 47% | 5% |
| Emerson College[40] | April 13–15, 2017 | 324 | ± 5.4% | 47% | 49% | 4% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[42] | April 13, 2017 | 407 | ± 4.6% | 44% | 42% | 14% |
| Revily[43] | April 10–12, 2017 | 485 | ± 4.5% | 47% | 46% | 7% |
| Lake Research Partners[117] | March 26–28, 2017 | 350 | ± 5.2% | 45% | 45% | 10% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[48] | March 22–23, 2017 | 449 | ± 4.5% | 42% | 41% | 17% |
with Bob Gray
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jon Ossoff (D) |
Bob Gray (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[118] | April 13–15, 2017 | 324 | ± 5.4% | 45% | 50% | 5% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[119] | April 13, 2017 | 398 | ± 4.6% | 46% | 45% | 9% |
| Revily[120] | April 10–12, 2017 | 485 | ± 4.5% | 47% | 48% | 4% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[121] | March 22–23, 2017 | 433 | ± 4.5% | 44% | 42% | 13% |
with Judson Hill
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jon Ossoff (D) |
Judson Hill (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[118] | April 13–15, 2017 | 324 | ± 5.4% | 45% | 48% | 7% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[119] | April 13, 2017 | 391 | ± 4.6% | 47% | 44% | 9% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[121] | March 22–23, 2017 | 428 | ± 4.5% | 44% | 45% | 11% |
with Dan Moody
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jon Ossoff (D) |
Dan Moody (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[118] | April 13–15, 2017 | 324 | ± 5.4% | 46% | 49% | 5% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[119] | April 13, 2017 | 387 | ± 4.6% | 45% | 48% | 7% |
| FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy[121] | March 22–23, 2017 | 421 | ± 4.5% | 46% | 44% | 10% |
Results
On June 20, 2017, Ossoff was defeated by Handel, 51.87% to 48.13%. Following reports of the election results, The New York Times characterized the race as "demoralizing for Democrats".[122] This was as close as a Democrat had come to winning this district since it assumed its current configuration as a northern suburban district in 1992; previously, Democratic challengers had only won more than 40 percent of the vote twice.[123] Handel later lost re-election to a full term on November 6, 2018, to Democratic challenger Lucy McBath, making her the first Democrat to represent the district in its present form. Ossoff later became the senior U.S. Senator for Georgia, defeating incumbent David Perdue in a 2021 runoff election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Karen Handel | 134,799 | 51.78% | −9.90% | |
| Democratic | Jon Ossoff | 125,517 | 48.22% | +9.90% | |
| Total votes | 260,316 | 100.0% | |||
| Majority | 9,282 | 3.57% | −19.8% | ||
| Turnout | 260,455 | 58.16% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
County results
| Karen Handel Republican |
Jon Ossoff Democrat |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes |
| Cobb | 45,688 | 57.98% | 33,114 | 42.02% | 12,574 | 15.96% | 78,802 |
| DeKalb | 24,117 | 41.55% | 33,928 | 58.45% | 9,811 | 16.90% | 58,045 |
| Fulton | 64,994 | 52.64% | 58,475 | 47.36% | 6,519 | 5.28% | 123,469 |