Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is supporting Democrat Jon Ossoff's congressional campaign in Georgia. His opponent Republican Karen Handel hopes Donald Trump will campaign for her. </s> Story highlights Perez is headed to Georgia on Thursday to raise money for the race

The hotly contested race carried major implications as a gauge of President Donald Trump's popularity

(CNN) Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez struck a positive note Wednesday morning just hours after Democrat candidate Jon Ossoff narrowly fell short of capturing a House seat in a longtime conservative stronghold in Georgia.

"We have a lot of wind at our back," Perez told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "The progressive energy out there is palpable and the volunteers are out there."

Ossoff received 48.1% of the vote, shy of the 50% he needed to win outright. He and the other top vote-getter -- Republican candidate Karen Handel, who received 19.8% -- will now face off in a runoff election in June, a likely uphill climb for Democrats now that the Republican vote in a reliably GOP district will be consolidated behind one candidate.

The hotly contested race carried major implications as a gauge of President Donald Trump's popularity -- and Trump himself seemed to grasp the high stakes, playing a direct role in its closing days with robocalls and by attacking Ossoff repeatedly on Twitter.

On Tuesday, Trump claimed victory, calling it a "BIG 'R' win with runoff in Georgia" on Twitter and citing his own contributions.

Read More </s> Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanScott Walker's son considers congressional run Bloomberg revises story on Trump Labor pick who was reinstated Labor reinstates official accused of anti-Semitic posts by Bloomberg story: report MORE (R-Wis.) will head to Georgia to campaign alongside GOP candidate Karen Handel in the much-watched House special election, Politico reported Wednesday.

Ryan will stump alongside Handel sometime in the next few weeks, a Ryan political aide told Politico Wednesday.

Handel will face off against Democrat Jon Ossoff in a June runoff race to fill the seat of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

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Democrats had hoped Ossoff would be able to clinch more than 50 percent of the vote in a Tuesday primary and win the seat outright, but he fell below the mark. Handel received about 20 percent of the vote but was up against a crowded field of GOP competitors.

Both parties will now coalesce around their candidate in the final race, which is being cast as an early sign of what's to come in 2018 and a measure of backlash against President Trump.

Ossoff, who raised a massive $8 million for the primary, is continuing to rake in donations.

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Keenan Pontoni, Ossoff’s campaign manager, said the investigative filmmaker raised over $500,000 on Wednesday alone, according to Politico.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will reportedly also contribute $500,000 to promoting Ossoff on TV.

Politico reported that the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that has already spent about $3 million attacking Ossoff, is also planning additional investments in the race. </s> Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff arrives with Alisha Kramer to greet supporters at a campaign office on April 15, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. After 12 years, Jon Ossoff, a Democrat running to fill Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price's now empty House seat, is finally engaged to Alisha Kramer, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution .

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Washington Post. </s> ROSWELL, Ga. (AP) _ Republican Karen Hndel has won a nationally watched congressional election in Georgia and avoided a major upset after the most expensive House campaign in U.S. history.

Her victory over Democrat Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District comes after Republican special congressional election wins in Montana, Kansas and South Carolina.

Republicans are claiming momentum ahead of the 2018 midterms, but each race was much closer than expected for the four districts.

Those trends leave Democrats hopeful they can win a House majority next year. They need to flip 24 GOP seats.

The 55-year-old Handel is a former Georgia secretary of state who built her professional and political career after leaving an abusive home as a teenager. She succeeds Republican Tom Price, who resigned to join President Donald Trump’s administration.

Atlanta congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis is revving up the crowd at the election night party for Democrat Jon Ossoff.

The 77-year-old congressman on Tuesday recalled a letter a young Ossoff wrote to Lewis asking for a Capitol Hill internship. Now Ossoff is a 30-year-old Democrat running for Congress himself.

He’s trying to pull a major upset in the suburban Atlanta district north of Lewis’ 5th District. Ossoff is running against Republican Karen Handel, who is trying to hang on to a district her party has controlled since 1979.

Lewis is praising Ossoff supporters for making “a major down payment on change not just in the 6th District but … in our nation.”

Karen Handel is telling supporters that the first results in Georgia’s closely watched congressional race are “incredibly encouraging.”

The Republican candidate made a brief appearance shortly before 8 p.m. as her supporters gathered at a hotel ballroom in Atlanta and chanted “Karen! Karen! Karen!” at her entrance. Handel says there is a long way to g and urged her backers to stay and watch returns come in.

Handel faces Democrat Jon Ossoff in the race for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District and is trying to hold on to a district her party has controlled since 1979.

Most polls have closed in Georgia for a special congressional election that offers a potential preview of the 2018 midterm elections.

A few precincts remained open Tuesday evening after a rain-soaked day in metro Atlanta.

Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff are expected to have a tight finish in the area’s traditionally conservative northern suburbs.

Ossoff wants an upset that would rattle Washington ahead of next year’s elections. A Republican has represented Georgia’s 6th Congressional District since 1979.

Turnout could exceed 250,000 votes, an impressive total for a special election, and its already the most expensive House race in U.S. history.

An election official says voting has been moving smoothly at polling sites in Georgia’s closely-watched House election.

Richard Barron, director of Fulton County’s registration and elections, says the state’s most populous county is on pace to have around 36,000 people come through when polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. He says about 16,500 people had already voted by 12:30 p.m.

Barron says there have been a couple of voting issues, but it’s nothing that would derail having final results in by 11 p.m. He says one of the most common complaints has been from poll workers canceling people’s absentee-by-mail ballots at polls.

In the April 18 general election, state officials reported polling machines used to check in voters at one precinct in Johns Creek weren’t working properly, but the problem was resolved.

Election officials for a Georgia county in the 6th Congresional District say two polling places will stay open late after an equipment problem delayed the start of voting.

State officials said polling places at Livsey Elementary School and Holy Cross Catholic Church received the wrong equipment for checking in voters.

DeKalb County officials said the problem was resolved by 7:30 a.m. but they want voters to have a full 12 hours to cast ballots in the runoff between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams signed an order Tuesday afternoon keeping polls open until 7:30 p.m. at both locations. Other polling places in the district, which includes portions of Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties, close at 7 p.m.

An election official in Georgia’s most-populous county says he’s aiming to have final results in by 11 p.m. Tuesday in Georgia’s closely-watched congressional election.

That would contrast with last April, when Fulton County could not report vote totals for several hours after polls closed in the special election in Georgia’s 6th congressional district. That contest led to Tuesday’s runoff between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff.

This time, county officials are optimistic they will have more timely results.

Richard Barron, director of Fulton County’s registration & elections, says that although 11 p.m. is his goal, “accuracy is paramount.”

The county scheduled a briefing Tuesday afternoon to update reporters on its role in the election.

Portions of Fulton, Cobb and DeKalb counties are included in the 6th Congressional District.

A spokeswoman for Georgia’s top election official says voting in the state’s closely-watched 6th District is going smoothly but some issues have been reported.

Two voting locations in DeKalb County had the wrong equipment used to check voters in. Workers had to use paper listsas a backup.

Secretary of State spokeswoman Candice Broce said some voters were told to use provisional ballots. She wasn’t sure how many people were given those directions. Broce says DeKalb officials are considering whether to ask a judge to extend voting hours at the Livsey Elementary School and Embry Hills polling places.

Broce says investigators from the Secretary of State’s office are reviewing the issue. An investigator also went to a church in Cobb County after a complaint that campaigns signs were too close to the location.

As voting got underway in Georgia’s closely-watched Congressional race, the state’s chief elections official posted a video on social media urging voters to head to the polls and “wear your peach voting sticker with pride.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp said in the Facebook video Tuesday morning that Georgians’ right to vote for their public officials should never be taken for granted.

Either Republican Karen Handel will claim a seat that’s been in her party’s hands since 1979 or Democrat Jon Ossoff will manage an upset that will rattle Washington ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Their matchup in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District has become a proxy for the national political atmosphere and a test of GOP strength early in Donald Trump’s presidency.

As the most expensive House race in in U.S. history goes into voters’ hands, President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to weigh in on the closely-watched election.

In one early Tuesday tweet, Trump criticizes Democrat Jon Ossoff, saying he’ll raise taxes, is weak on crime and “doesn’t even live in district.” Ossoff lives in Atlanta, south of the suburban district. He has said the address is close to Emory University, where his fiancee attends medical school.

In another tweet, Trump praises Republican Karen Handel as a hard worker who will fiht for lower taxes, great health care and strong security.

The matchup between Ossoff and Handel has become a proxy for the national political atmosphere and a test of GOP strength early in Trump’s presidency.

Trump barely won the district in November, giving Democrats an opening once Republican Tom Price resigned the seat to join the president’s Cabinet as health secretary.

The most expensive House race in U.S. history heads to voters Tuesday in suburban Atlanta.

Either Republican Karen Handel will claim a seat that’s been in her party’s hands since 1979 or Democrat Jon Ossoff will manage an upset that will rattle Washington ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Their matchup in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District has become a proxy for the national political atmosphere and a test of GOP strength early in Donald Trump’s presidency.

Ossoff led an April primary but fell just short of an outright victory, sending an already costly race into a two-month runoff campaign.

Trump barely won the district in November, giving Democrats an opening once Republican Tom Price resigned the seat to join the president’s Cabinet as health secretary. </s> A super PAC aligned with the House Republican leadership and Speaker Paul Ryan Paul RyanHow low can you go? Overnight Finance: Ryan taking tax reform pitch on the road | Senate panel asks Treasury for Trump financial info | New federal spending tracker | Commerce chief downplays 3-percent growth goal Yates, media apparent partners in the effort to ignore criminal leaks aimed at Trump MORE (R-Wis.) released a new ad Tuesday attacking Democrat Jon Ossoff for raising most of his campaign cash from out-of-state donors in the runoff to fill an open U.S. House seat in Georgia.

The Congressional Leadership Fund’s (CLF) first ad in the runoff period ahead of Ossoff’s June 20 race against Republican Karen Handel casts the Democrat as an ally of San Francisco liberals such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The CLF ad features an array of young liberals thanking Georgians for supporting Ossoff.

“Hi Georgia, Nancy Pelosi just wanted to say thank you,” says one woman wearing an Ossoff-Pelosi T-shirt.

“We already have Nancy Pelosi as our congresswoman, now you’re going to give us Jon Ossoff as our congressman,” says a man with pigtail braids.

“We’re proud that California is the leading funder of the Jon Ossoff campaign,” says another. “We’re really excited that Jon Ossoff likes paying higher taxes.”

They go on to accuse Ossoff and Pelosi of seeking to weaken the military and failing to take ISIS seriously.

"ISIS?" says a woman wearing a floppy hat and a "Cut the military now!" button. "They're overrated."

“San Francisco loves them some Jon Ossoff,” a man in the ad concludes.

Federal Election Commission reports show that about 95 percent of Ossoff’s campaign contributions have come from outside of Georgia.

The race to replace Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price in Georgia’s sixth district has attracted national attention. Money is pouring in from outside groups on both sides in a race that is viewed as an early referendum on President Trump.

Republicans look to beat back the challenge from Ossoff in a traditionally red district, where the outcome will be seen as a bellwether for the 2018 midterm battle over control of the House.

Those factors have contributed to making it one of the most expensive House races in history.

The CLF alone spent more than $3 million against Ossoff before the special election in mid-April, and will invest another $3.5 million during the run-off period. </s> Next month, Republican Karen Handel will square off against Democrat Jon Ossoff in a runoff to replace former Georgia congressman Tom Price, who resigned when he was appointed Donald Trump’s health and human services secretary. Handel and Ossoff were the top two finishers in an all-party primary, in which Ossoff received 48 percent, outperforming Hillary Clinton’s 46 percent in the district.

One thing is for sure: the Georgia special election is set to be the most expensive House race in history. Both Republicans and Democrats are slated to pour tens of millions into the campaign over the next month.

Candidates and outside groups have aired or reserved more than $29.7 million worth of TV ads in the race to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in Congress, which will break a five-year-old record for House spending — highlighting the outsize importance a sliver of the Atlanta suburbs has taken on in national politics. It is plainly more money than one House race out of 435 needs. Cash is flowing in at such saturation levels that Democrat Jon Ossoff’s campaign had the money for everything from Korean radio ads to free Lyft rides for voters on primary day. The Atlanta NBC station has even bumped reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show” from their regular slot in order to extend its local newscasts and make more room for political ads.

RELATED: President Trump singles out one election where he thinks Republicans should be afraid

Ossoff’s campaign is being propelled by small-dollar donations, mostly from outside of the district. He’s tapped into the progressive anger over President Donald Trump’s election and effectively nationalized the race.

Meanwhile, President Trump had a fundraiser for Handel that raised hundreds of thousands for her campaign. House Speaker Paul Ryan has also stepped up for Handel by raising hundreds of thousands more. In addition, House Republicans’ Congressional Leadership Fund plans on dumping $8.5 million into the race, which has set a new record for outside spending.

Why is this race so important? For starters, it already is a defeat for Republicans. The fact that Ossoff got 48 percent of the vote in what was a deeply red district means that Republicans are vulnerable nationwide. Progressives are as energized now as the tea party was in 2010.

RELATED: Meet the new party of “no”: the Democrats

This district is also important because it’s a must-win for Democrats if they plan on taking back the House of Representatives in 2018. Georgia’s Sixth is a suburban enclave of Atlanta that is trending younger and has had an influx of minority voters. If Democrats cannot win here, they will have a tough time flipping other Republican seats.

The battle in Georgia’s special election will go down to the wire, but one thing is for sure: neither party is leaving anything on the table. </s> There's so much win in this Jon Ossoff interview.

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle points out the Donald Trump tweeted six times about the Georgia Six race. She doesn't mention that he also recorded the worst robocall in the history of American politics, in my opinion.

Ossoff would not respond with Trump's name:

JON OSSOFF: Folks in Washington tend to overstate their influence in local races like this. This comes down to grassroots intensity. The thousands of volunteers and organizers, so much of it led by women ...it's that kind of grassroots energy that will carry us to victory on June 20.

Way to pivot from Trump to Democratic women organizers, Jon Ossoff!

And Ossoff's opponent, Karen Handel, says she welcomes Trump's support and willingness to campaign for her? Really? (You gotta hand it to Driftglass -- his coverage of that nugget gets the prize for Best Title of the Day.)

Let's see how Karen Handel's family values platform holds up after a state visit from Mister P*ssy Grabber Tic-Tac Chomper.

And watch out Jon. As Secretary of State for Georgia 2009-11, Handel was notorious for purging voter rolls until the Obama administration stopped her. Her ilk won't have such problems under this so-called President. </s> DUNWOODY, Ga. — A Georgia congressional election is headed to a runoff that's shaping up as a referendum on President Donald Trump ahead of crucial midterm elections next year.

Democrat Jon Ossoff, a little-known 30-year-old former congressional staffer, fell a few percentage points shy of an outright victory Tuesday amid an 18-candidate scramble in Georgia's 6th Congressional District. His strong showing in the conservative district, driven by fundraising from out-of-state donors, underscored Democrats' eagerness to take back House control in 2018.

Republican Karen Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, finished a distant second in the crowded field, qualifying for the June 20 runoff.

Handel treated Trump gingerly throughout the campaign in a district he barely won in November. But the president called to congratulate her Wednesday morning, and Handel said she hoped he would come to campaign for her.

"I would hope so," Handel said on CNN. "I mean look, all Republicans, it's all hands on deck for us."

Trump had attacked Ossoff in recent days and took to Twitter again Wednesday morning to crow about the outcome in Georgia after Democrats' failure to win a different special election in Kansas last week.

"Dems failed in Kansas and are now failing in Georgia. Great job Karen Handel! It is now Hollywood vs. Georgia on June 20th," Trump wrote, alluding to celebrity donations that came in for Ossoff.

Republicans hold a 237-193 majority in the House so Democrats would need to pick up more than 20 seats to retake control in the 2018 midterm. Another special election is coming up in Montana next month.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez insisted Democrats have the momentum in the Georgia race and made clear his party will not be shy about tying Handel to Trump.

"She's the person who supports Donald Trump's efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I wonder if Donald Trump and she are going to campaign on that issue in her district," Perez said on CNN.
Both Paul Ryan and Tom Perez plan to campaign for the local candidates Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff respectively.