Dem Ossoff raises $8.3M in Ga. House race

Democrat Jon Ossoff raised an eye-popping $8.3 million for his House campaign in a Georgia special election, according to a release from his campaign.

Ossoff reportedly has $2.1 million in cash on hand going into the April 18 “jungle primary” to fill the seat left vacant by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that 95 percent of his donations came from out of state.

Ossoff’s campaign is looking to win outright on April 18, and polls show him nearing the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff after the crowded primary against candidates of all parties. But if no one scores a majority of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a June 20 runoff.

Democrats are looking to make the race a referendum on President Trump, who won the district by only 1 percentage point. The party has rallied around the 30-year-old investigative filmmaker, who has received help from the House Democrats’ campaign arm and contributions from progressive groups like End Citizens United and the liberal blog Daily Kos.

{mosads}Ossoff appears to be way ahead of his competitors, although not all of them have announced their fundraising totals yet.

Republican Karen Handel, a former Georgia secretary of State, announced she has raised $463,000 and has more than $183,000 in her campaign account. Her campaign said almost 90 percent of its contributions come from Georgia donors.

Former state Sen. Judson Hill (R) reported that he hauled in $473,000 and has $113,000 cash on hand, according to a Federal Election Commission fundraising report.

Looking to fend off a major upset, national Republican groups are pouring in resources and staffers into the suburban Atlanta district. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House GOP leadership, has launched several ads targeting Ossoff in a more than $2 million effort.

And in a last-minute investment, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National Committee have gone on the air and deployed staffers to the district.