As Donald Trump’s presidency continues to implode at all levels, Georgia Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff has opened up a substantial seven-point leader over his Republican opponent Karen Handel.
The survey is particularly stunning given the fact that Republicans have held the seat in Georgia’s 6th congressional district since the 1970s.
More from the poll, which was conducted by SurveyUSA from May 16 through May 20:
Handel trails Democratic upstart Jon Ossoff 51% to 44% at this hour, close enough in a low-turnout, stand-alone runoff to be anyone’s call, though clearly Ossoff is in a better position than is Handel.
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The district is Republican leaning but not Republican invincible: Trump carried the district in 2016, but only by 1.5 percentage points, compared to, say, the neighboring 9th Congressional District, which Trump carried by 58 percentage points.
Ossoff does not live in the 6th Congressional District, but voters shrug. 84% of Democrats and 21% of Republicans say the residency doesn’t bother them. Karen Handel does not have a college degree, but voters shrug. 45% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans say it is not an issue for them at all.
It’s clear that the president’s corruption isn’t just hurting his own dismal approval ratings, but he’s dragging Republicans down with him into territory they shouldn’t even have to defend.
In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the district by 1.5 percentage points, but former GOP congressman – and current HHS Secretary – Tom Price beat his Democratic opponent in the district by more than 23 points. The fact that a progressive is winning majority support in this district is all the evidence Re.
The Russia scandal, which took another explosive turn on Monday, is clearly dragging Trump and the entire party down. A GOP loss in next month’s special election would be devastating for Trump and his party ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
