Republican wins closely-watched Georgia election, boosting Trump

US President Donald Trump gained an important boost early Wednesday morning when it became clear that Republican candidate Karen Hendel won a key run-off election in Georgia's sixth congressional district by a significant margin. She defeated the young Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff by about 11,000 votes or four percent of the total. The district includes the city of Atlanta. The seat in the House was previously occupied by Tom Price, who is now the secretary of health and human services.
Both parties, and especially the Democrats, viewed the election as a referendum on their policies. The Democrats claimed it would prove that their relentless attacks on President Donald Trump are bearing fruit, and that the president is losing support among the country's voters. Trump and his supporters have said that backing for the president remains strong despite the attacks on him by many in the American media.
The two parties spent over $60 million on the campaign, the most ever spent on an election to fill a vacant House seat.
The GOP also notched a victory on Tuesday when Republican Ralph Norman defeated Democrat Archie Parnell in a special election to fill a vacant House seat for South Carolina's fifth district. The seat was vacated by current White House budget director Mick Mulvaney.