Georgia’s 6th District hadn’t been represented by a Democrat since Newt Gingrich won it in 1978. When Tom Price resigned to join Trump’s cabinet, Democrats were hopeful the seat would be in play and put $30 million into the special election to replace him. It was a high-profile, nationalized race, and while Democrat Jon Ossoff outperformed Republican Karen Handel by 28.9% in the crowded primary, Republican voters consolidated and helped push Handel to a 51.8/48.2 victory.
A year later, with races in every Congressional District, less attention was being paid to the Atlanta suburbs. Lucy McBath had never run for office before, and some thought she didn’t have the experience necessary to compete for the seat. She had become a prominent gun safety advocate after losing her son to gun violence. She had survived breast cancer and knew the importance of access to quality health care. We wanted to show voters that she had exactly the right kind of experience to stand up for their values in Washington.
In the end, they agreed with us. Just over 16 months after Karen Handel defeated Jon Ossoff and won the seat, Lucy McBath defeated Karen Handel. 40 years after Newt Gingrich turned the seat red, Lucy McBath turned it blue.