President Donald Trump drew a distinct line Wednesday after Democratic congressional candidate John Ossoff failed to garner 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s special election.
In a message on his Twitter account Wednesday, the president said the June runoff election triggered by Tuesday’s vote represented a battle between Ossoff and his celebrity backers, and Republican Karen Handel’s local support.
“Dems failed in Kansas and are now failing in Georgia. Great job Karen Handel! It is now Hollywood vs. Georgia on June 20th,” Trump tweeted.
The 30-year-old documentary filmmaker-turned-Democratic politician received a flood of celebrity support for his campaign, which was seen as a long-shot bid to steal a seat in the Republican-heavy suburban Georgia district. Ossoff will have to face Republican candidate Karen Handel in a runoff election in June.
Ossoff’s campaign was boosted by the support of numerous celebrities, including from Star Trek actor George Takei and anti-Trump talk show host Chelsea Handler, the latter of whom donated to the young Democrat and used her nearly 7 million-strong Twitter following to urge Georgia voters to turn out.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson recorded a 45-second radio ad endorsing Ossoff that ran for several days before the election. Meanwhile, actresses Jane Fonda and Kyra Sedgwick and Law and Order star Sam Waterston also helped Ossoff’s campaign, according to Politico.
The Democrat reportedly amassed an astounding $8.3 million from nearly 200,000 donors, with over 95 percent of those contributions coming from out of state.
In comparison, Handel reportedly raised just $463,000.
Despite Ossoff’s significant financial advantage, a slew of liberal celebrities boosting his profile, and a Democratic base eager to tag a win against Trump, the documentary filmmaker-turned-politician failed to reach the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson