ATLANTA – President Donald Trump is attacking the leading Democratic candidate for a special election in a typically conservative Georgia congressional district, with Republicans bidding to avoid a major upset.
On Twitter, Trump said Monday that “The super Liberal Democrat in the Georgia Congressional race tomorrow wants to protect criminals, allow illegal immigration and raise taxes!” The nationally watched contest in several northern Atlanta suburbs is being viewed by many as a barometer of Trump’s popularity.
Trump was referring to Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old former congressional staffer who has become a national fundraising phenomenon ahead of Tuesday’s vote. Ossoff is seeking to replace Republican Tom Price, who resigned to become Trump’s health secretary.
READ MORE: Donald Trump issues stern warning to North Korea leader Kim Jong Un: ‘Gotta behave’
Ossoff has raised at least $8.3 million for the contest, much of it from outside Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across several of Atlanta’s northern suburbs.
In a statement responding to the president, Ossoff said he is “glad the president is interested in the race,” but added that Trump is “misinformed.” Ossoff added his usual campaign promise of “fresh leadership and bipartisan problem solving.”
WATCH: Trump family welcomes kids to White House for annual Easter Egg Roll
Trump’s foray into the race came as most of the 18 candidates – all of them on the same ballot, regardless of party – make a final day of stops around the affluent, well-educated district.
Republicans hope to force a June 20 runoff with the GOP’s top candidate by keeping Ossoff below 50 per cent of the vote. Leading Republican candidates include former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, wealthy technology executive Bob Gray and two former state senators, Judson Hill and Dan Moody.
Trump barely won the district in November, edging Democrat Hillary Clinton by less than 2 percentage points – well short of the usual GOP margin in a district once sent former Speaker Newt Gingrich to Washington. Democrats see the race as a barometer of the president’s standing in the kinds of congressional district they’d need to flip in the 2018 midterms if they hope to reclaim a House majority.
READ MORE: Donald Trump gets nudge from Melania after forgetting to raise hand during anthem
The Georgia primary comes a week after Republicans won a closer-than-expected special congressional victory in Kansas. Both national parties already had dispatched paid staffers to metro Atlanta, but the Kansas result intensified the pressure and attention in the stretch run.
The back-and-forth between Trump and Ossoff reflects the overall narrative of the whirlwind campaign since Price’s Cabinet confirmation.
Ossoff, who worked for Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Atlanta, and is now an investigative filmmaker, has tried to capitalize both on intense anti-Trump sentiments among liberals, while also coaxing disaffected independents and moderate Republicans who normally wouldn’t consider voting Democratic.
Republicans, including a political action committee backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, have hammered Ossoff as an unqualified liberal certain to follow orders from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, an unpopular figure in the district.
- Iran fires air defences at military base after suspected Israeli drone attack
- U.S. aid to Ukraine, Israel set to pass. But bills differ in one key area
- Carbon rebate labelling in bank deposits fuelling confusion, minister says
- Conservatives ask interference inquiry judge to rule elections were flawed
Comments