GOP group launches final salvo against Ossoff in Ga. House race

A super PAC affiliated with House GOP leadership is launching its final TV ad targeting Democrat Jon Ossoff, one week before the highly anticipated Georgia special House election. 

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) accuses Ossoff of declining to participate in a debate to avoid “tough” questions about his national security experience and living outside the suburban Atlanta district. The ad, which will run in the Atlanta media market, is part of the CLF’s $7 million investment in the race.

Republicans have questioned Ossoff’s national security credentials while serving as a congressional aide and some nonpartisan fact-checkers have said he’s inflated his resume. The party has also attacked him for living outside the district, though Ossoff only lives a few miles away and plans to move back there when his fiancé finishes medical school.

Ossoff and his GOP opponent, Karen Handel, have squared off in two debates as they vie for the seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

{mosads}“Whether it’s exaggerating his resume or hiding his stance on key issues, Jon Ossoff continues to prove that he’s simply not ready to represent Georgia families in Congress,” said CLF executive director Corry Bliss. 

“Ossoff would rather let his status as Nancy Pelosi’s rubber stamp speak for itself, instead of answering the tough questions.”

CLF has been extremely active in this year’s special elections and primarily in Georgia’s race to help boost Handel, a former Georgia secretary of State. The group launched a Spanish-language TV ad on Monday that sought to link Ossoff to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Tuesday’s ad comes in the final week of the race that has captivated the political world and has become the most expensive House race in U.S. history. Ossoff has raised $23 million, a record for a House race.

The race has largely been neck and neck, but a poll from last week found Ossoff breaking 50 percent and holding a 7-point lead over Handel. Still, strategists from both parties expect the race to be a toss-up headed into the June 20 runoff.