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All Eyes On Georgia's Special Election

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Georgia’s state of mind and message for the nation after the most expensive congressional race ever.

Republican candidate for Georgia's 6th District Congressional seat Karen Handel celebrates with her husband Steve as she declares victory during an election-night watch party Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Atlanta. (John Bazemore/AP)
Republican candidate for Georgia's 6th District Congressional seat Karen Handel celebrates with her husband Steve as she declares victory during an election-night watch party Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Atlanta. (John Bazemore/AP)

Oh, you could taste the hunger of both parties for the win in Georgia’s 6th district yesterday. Republicans, wild to show that that they would not be moved in Newt Gingrich’s old district. That they could win with President Trump. Democrats, raging to notch a victory, to take a scalp deep in GOP territory, to knock a hole in the Republican wall and roll to game change in 2018. And the Republican won. This hour On Point: The most expensive Congressional contest in history, and the lessons for 2018. -- Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Greg Bluestein, political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (@bluestein)

Eliana Johnson, national political reporter for POLITICO. (@elianayjohnson)

Anita Dunn, democratic strategist. Managing director at SKDKnickerbocker, a public affairs firm in Washington.

Glen Bolger, Republican strategist and pollster. (@posglen)

Matt Taibbi, journalist and contributor to Rolling Stone. Author of, "Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus" (@mtaibbi)

From Tom's Reading List

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Handel defeats Ossoff to win Georgia 6th District — "Republican Karen Handel staved off a furious challenge from Democrat Jon Ossoff on Tuesday in a race to represent a suburban Atlanta seat in Congress, as the GOP and President Donald Trump avoided an embarrassing defeat in the most expensive U.S. House contest in history."

Rolling Stone: The Democrats Need a New Message — "How low do you have to sink to lose an election in this country? Republicans have been trying to answer that question for years. But they've been unable to find out, because Democrats somehow keep failing to beat them."

POLITICO: Trump spikes the ball after Georgia election win — "Rattled by Donald Trump’s tumultuous first five months in office, the Republican Party breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday after a much-needed special election victory in Georgia. The White House also exhaled: After Republican Karen Handel was declared the victor in a race billed as a referendum on the new president, Trump fired off a series of celebratory tweets."

New York Times: After Georgia Election, Democrats Are Demoralized, Again — "Make no mistake: Democrats were swimming against the current in Georgia. The House seat that their sights were on had been safely in Republican hands for nearly four decades. Georgia’s Sixth District is purple only if you scrunch your eyes just so. If you un-scrunch them and look at it honestly, it’s red."

This program aired on June 21, 2017.

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