President Trump painted Democrat Jon Ossoff as a “super liberal” in a Monday tweet just one day before a Georgia special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
“The super Liberal Democrat in the Georgia Congressioal [sic] race tomorrow wants to protect criminals, allow illegal immigrants and raise taxes!” Trump tweeted.
Republican messaging against the 30-year-old Ossoff hasn’t predominately centered on the issues Trump listed, however. Instead, Republicans have criticized the Democrat’s national security credentials and framed him as someone who will fall in line with party leadership.
{mosads}Tuesday’s special election has received outside attention as millions of dollars pour into the district. Democrats, who have framed the race as a referendum on Trump’s administration, are seeking to steal a traditionally red seat as proof that voters don’t agree with his policies or direction. That’s been apparent in Ossoff’s messaging from the start, with campaign ads and fundraising pitches regularly evoking Trump.
The special election is a “jungle primary,” so a candidate can win the seat outright on Tuesday if they win 50 percent of the ballots cast. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two finishers will go to a runoff in June.
Ossoff is the clear Democratic favorite facing a crowded field of Republicans. Most experts believe his best shot at winning is on Tuesday, as Republicans will benefit from coalescing around one candidate in a runoff.