Atlanta, Georgia, June 20 (EFE) .- A special election for Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District concluded on Tuesday with a narrow victory for Republican candidate Karen Handel.
Handel is set to fill the seat vacated by Tom Price, who serves as Health and Human Services Secretary under President Donald Trump.
Handel’s narrow victory is seen as a sign of support for Trump’s presidency, as well as shoring up his control of the Republican party.
The special election, which was the most expensive House race in the history of the United States, caught a wave of national attention as the polls indicated a chance for Democratic Party candidate Jon Ossoff, who in the end did not manage to win this district which has voted for Republicans since 1979.
The Democrats considered this election an early referendum on the first five months of President Trump, who also showed support for Handel.
Handel won the elections with 53 percent, while Ossoff garnered 47 percent of the ballots counted, marking a narrow-margin victory of the Republican candidate in the traditionally Republican-leaning district.
The US president congratulated Handel on “her big win” through his twitter account.
“Fantastic job, we are all very proud of you,” Trump added.
Ossoff, who is seen by many as a symbol of resistance against Trump, tried to distance himself from this title and said that these are local elections and that the voter’s decision must be based on the issues that affect the district’s residents the most.
Despite this, the young documentary filmmaker managed to raise more than $23 million for his election campaign, mostly from outside Georgia.
Democratic donors hoped that this fundraising haul would serve to prove that Trump’s plummeting popularity is harming the Republicans.