Tuesday on MSNBC, Georgia Democratic congressional hopeful Jon Ossoff, who is running against Karen Handel, the Republican nominee, in a special election today, said voters in Georgia’s sixth congressional district do not care that he lives outside their district.
Both President Donald Trump and Ossoff’s opponent Handel have made Ossoff’s residence an issue in the race.
Partial transcript as follows:
RUHLE: You said it earlier, every vote counts. I asked you the other day, but it’s extraordinary, one of the main points that Karen Handel and even President Trump has pushed against you is something that’s very easy to solve—where you live. And if you get elected you’re going to be spending the majority of your time in Washington. And while people respect, across the board, your desire to support your fiancé, she is in medical school; she walks to work across the street at 4:00 a.m., you’re going to be getting a job that has you on a plane living in another part of the country most days of the week. With every vote counting, with every point counting, why not move, sir?
OSSOFF: Well, Steph, voters just aren’t asking me this question. Voters are asking what I’ll do to improve our local economy, what I’m going to do to make sure they have access to health care, what I’m going to do to bring greater accountability to Washington. Folks here care about how their representation impacts their daily lives. Frankly, if this is the best argument my opponents have against me, I’m feeling good about the outcome tonight. I grew up in this community; I live a couple of miles down the road to support my fiancé while she finishes medical school.
RUHLE: But, Jon, since the special election, where you were at 48.1 percent, things have only moved to 48.8 percent with 50 million bucks under your belt. Voters care about a lot. If you look back on this and things are that tight, wouldn’t you say to yourself, ‘Just get an apartment in the district, this race counts so much?’
OSSOFF: Well, if voters were raising that as a serious concern, Steph, maybe I would. But voters care about how policy and how representation is going to impact their daily lives. They know I grew up in this community, they know I grew up in the sixth district, they know why I’m a couple of miles south of the line. It’s not a major issue in the race. I’m focused on delivering representation that will serve our local economy, that will serve the daily needs of the people I hope to represent, and I’m offering a fresh voice to bring that kind of service to the sixth district.
(h/t Grabien)
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