Voters in Georgia's 6th Congressional District want today's special election to be about their district, not about "Hollywood coming in and buying this seat," Republican candidate Karen Handel said Tuesday, as voting was getting underway in her district.
"They're very concerned about an individual who does not even live in the district," Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.
"For me, they know me, they trust me, and that's why I feel really good about today."
Handel is running in a close race against Democratic newcomer Jon Ossoff, who has come under fire for living a few miles outside the district while his fiancé attends medical school.
His campaign has attracted millions of dollars in donations and several celebrity backers in a race widely considered as a referendum on President Donald Trump, who has been tweeting support for Handel.
Handel said she feels positive about her chances, and she would not engage in a conversation on the theory that if she loses, it would be because voters don't like Trump.
"I feel good about where things are," she said. "Republicans are motivated. They do not want someone who lives outside of the district coming in and representing them, and they surely don't want [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi coming in to buy this seat."
Ossoff, she continued, is "absolutely not portraying himself accurately."
"This is a young man who was a junior staffer for one of the most liberal members of Congress, Hank Johnson," said Handel. "He is a liberal along the lines as Nancy Pelosi. He's going to be her vote in the House."
She continued that Ossoff is talking about balancing budgets, cutting spending, and dealing with corruption, but she's "actually done" those things while in office.
"They know that I'm a person who is determined to get the job done," said Handel, who has lived in her district for 25 years.
About 140,000 Georgia voters have already cast their ballots, she continued, but that's about half of the expected turnout.
"It's going to probably be not only historic on the money, but historic on the turnout," she said.
"When election day turnout is high, it means Republican turnout is high. We know Republicans stayed home in the primary. They are coming out to vote in this runoff."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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