Georgia votes Tuesday in fiercely competitive special election

Democrat Jon Ossoff needs to reach 50 percent on Tuesday or else risk losing the election in run-off voting.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 18 April 2017

Georgia's 6th congressional district goes to the polls Tuesday to vote on a replacement for Rep. Tom Price (R), who now serves as President Trump's Health and Human Services secretary. Leading the crowded race is the heavily-funded Democrat Jon Ossoff, who is averaging about 48 percent in the polls with the next highest-polling candidate, Karen Handel, a Republican, at about 18 percent. Ossoff will need more than 50 percent of the vote if he is to avoid a June 20 runoff, where his chances of seizing a plurality in the conservative district slim considerably.

Both parties are watching the results intently, as it could signal strategies for the 2018 midterms under President Trump, who underperformed in Georgia's 6th. Even President Trump has weighed in:

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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