Democrats Fight for a Seat in Special Georgia Election

When President Trump appointed Tom Price as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Price’s congressional seat opened up in Georgia’s 6^th District. Now, Democrats are turning their attention toward capturing that seat in the traditionally conservative, suburban Atlanta district.

Related Links: Use the links below to go more in depth with this post.

• Click here to see the progress President Trump has made in filling important administration and cabinet posts (including Tom Price as HHS Secretary).
• Click here to see the geographic boundaries of Georgia’s 6th congressional district.

Democrats need 24 seats to win back control of the U.S. House of Representatives. However, this special election race is especially important because it will give Democrats an idea of how to successfully turn out voters for midterm elections in 2018, as well as how to focus their message.

Though Georgia’s  6^th District is traditionally Republican, President Trump only carried it by a single point in last November’s election. The party is hoping to capitalize on any possible backlash against the president to take advantage of the narrow presidential election results and gain the seat. If successful, it might provide a blueprint for how to win other crucial congressional races all over the country.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not running on an anti-Trump message will be enough to win. So far, the strategy in Georgia’s 6^th District seems to be working. The Democrat’s frontrunner, 30-year-old documentary filmmaker Jon Ossoff, has already raised more than $3 million towards his campaign, thanks largely to his online pitch: “Make Trump Furious.”

Meanwhile, Republicans must decide whether their best chance for success lies with running candidates who align themselves with Trump, or those who make an effort to distance themselves from the White House. A similar struggle is underway in Montana, where Ryan Zinke’s House seat was left empty when Zinke was appointed as Secretary of the Interior.

What Do You Think? Imagine that you are a strategist for the Democratic Party. How would you convince voters to turn out for a midterm election? Write a short paragraph outlining the major points of your strategy.