Jewish candidate Jon Ossoff loses in crucial congressional race
In a blow for many Democrats who looked to Ossoff to bring about change, the 30-year-old Jewish candidate lost the congressional race in Atlanta to Karen Handel.
By JTAUpdated: JUNE 21, 2017 08:39Jon Ossoff(photo credit: REUTERS)
Karen Handel, a Republican, won a congressional race in Atlanta’s suburbs, defeating Jon Ossoff in a contest that Democrats had hoped would wound Donald Trump’s presidency.Handel defeated Ossoff, 52.1 to 47.9 percent, with all of the vote reported.Ossoff, a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker who is Jewish, had come just over a percent short of the 50 percent of the vote he needed in an April 18 open primary to take the seat without a runoff. Handel, 55, is a former Georgia secretary of state.In Georgia, costliest US House race hits ugly note as election looms (credit: REUTERS)The race is believed to be the most expensive in congressional history, with an estimated $50 million pouring in, mostly from outside the state.The seat was vacated by its longtime GOP incumbent, Tom Price, after Trump tapped Price as his Health and Human Services secretary. In November Price beat his Democratic rival by 20 percentage points, while Trump eked past Hillary Clinton in a mostly Republican district.