Why the White House Is Calling the Georgia Congressional Race a 'Big Loss' for Dems

04-19-2017
Photo, Associated Press

WASHINGTON --  The White House downplayed the results of Tuesday's congressional election in Georgia, calling it a major loss for Democrats.  

In the battle to fill the 6th Congressional District seat, formally occupied by Labor Secretary Tom Price, Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff brought in 48 percent of the vote. That means the virtually unknown candidate narrowly missed the 50 percent needed to prevent a runoff election. 

Democrats are calling this a HUUGE win in the heavily GOP dominated district.  

However, President Donald Trump is calling this a victory for Republicans. 

"Despite major outside money, FAKE media support and 11 Republican candidates, BIG 'R' win with runoff in Georgia. Glad to be of help!" the president tweeted, pointing to the large sums of money raised by donors outside the state of Georgia. 

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer echoed the sentiment. 

"I think this was a big loss for them. The bottom line is they went all in on it. They said their goal was to get over 50 percent. They came up short," Spicer said during Wednesday's briefing. 

However, he didn't rule out the possibility of the president traveling to Georgia to help seal the deal. 

"I think the president is going to do everything he can to maintain majorities and further the party," said Spicer. 

Meanwhile, Ossoff is celebrating his near victory. 

"We defied the odds, shattered expectations, and now are ready to fight on and win in June," he said in a statement. 

Ossoff will face Republican candidate Karen Handel in a runoff election in June.  

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