handel: how about steve handel? [cheering and applause] steve! job, ms. handel: this man is my heart. he tells you he is my number one supporter, and i can tell you that in everything i have ever attempted to do in my life, he has been my number one supporter. there are no words to say how much i love you. [cheering and applause] ms. handel: a little while ago, i had the opportunity to speak with john ossoff. he was more than gracious and he thanked me for a spirited campaign. i wish him and alicia all the best in the new life they are going to be starting. [applause] ms. handel: tonight, tonight, tonight i stand before you extraordinarily humbled and honored at the tremendous privilege and high responsibility that you and the people across the sixth district have given to me to represent you in the united states house of representatives. [cheering and applause] ms. handel: i will do -- we have had a legacy of tremendous leadership in this district. our very own tom price who is now secretary of hhs. [cheering and applause] ms. handel: now senator johnny

[cheering] about stevehow handel? [cheering and applause] ms. handel: this man is my heart. he tells you he is my number one supporter, and i can tell you that in everything i have ever attempted to do in my life, he has been my number one supporter. there are no words to say how much i love you. [cheering and applause] ms. handel: a little while ago, i had the opportunity to speak with john ossoff. he was more than gracious and he thanked me for a spirited campaign. i wish him and alicia all the best in the new life they are going to be starting. [applause] tonight,l: tonight, tonight i stand before you extraordinarily humble and honored at the tremendous privilege and high responsibility that you and the people across the sixth district have given to me to represent you in the united states house of representatives. [cheering and applause] ms. handel: i will do -- we have had a legacy of tremendous leadership in this district. our very own tom price who is now secretary of hhs. [cheering and applause] ms. handel: now senator johnny isakson -- [cheering and applause] ms. ha

denis: secretary handel. ms. handel: the paris accord was a very bad deal for america and americans. it is important that we do the right thing, but we also do the right thing in the right way. in that accord, first of all, there is no ability within the accord to hold india or china accountable. none whatsoever. and american businesses were being put at a significant competitive disadvantage. so what the president has said is he wants to renegotiate it and come back to the table and make it a fair agreement where there is accountability within that agreement. denis: let me ask you a quick follow-up here. the paris agreement, though, is based on what is a pretty widely accepted and vast body of evidence, scientific evidence, that human activity contributes to climate change. at least. so what response would you like to see to climate change? you can start by answering whether you think human activity contributes to it. ms. handel: look, i think that clearly there have been changes in the climate. i'm not a scient

moderator: secretary handel? ms. handel: thank you. i guess, jon, you subscribe to the nancy pelosi approach to policymaking, just pass it, then you'll read it. i looked at the bill. it specifically says individuals who have a plan as we transition to the new plan in more market approach in the state that you cannot be denied a plan and you cannot be charged more because of a pre-existing condition. so i think it is really important for everyone to understand that the system we currently have is collapsing. the status quo, doing nothing is unacceptable. we are down to just two providers in the state of georgia. that is not choice. and those premiums are going through the roof. they're already pricing people out of the market. moderator: let me quickly pick up. we've got about a minute left to cover the rest of health care. you touched on something, secretary handel that is , important about insurance. and i'm going to toss this one to you first and then mr. ossoff. the deadline for insurance companies to file their obamacare marketplac

handel: thank you. moderator: that is two minutes. ms. handel: thank you. my opponent talks a lot about cutting spending. he talks about balancing budgets. he has not done it one single time. he was a junior staffer for hank johnson, one of the most liberal tax and spend members of congress that we have. i have a track record of cutting spending and balancing budgets. in fulton county, i took on a $100 million budget deficit. i worked in a bipartisan fashion to stave off a massive property tax increase for the people of fulton county and get that budget balanced. as secretary of state, i cut that budget by nearly 20% as well. that's the kind of real world experience. we cannot just sit around and talk about this, that and the other, which -- what john has proposed is essentially just a gnat in the grand scheme of big budget. what needs to happen is fundamental budget reform. we need to move to zero based budgeting. we need to break down the silos in the federal government, and break down the bureaucrat speak where they talk about, oh, if i don't get the sam

. >> handel: if i might. jon, i'm really glad you brought it up again so that i can reiterate the facts. what was happening add komen was not a defunding of screen arings. it was a recognition that, number one, planned parenthood does not do mammograms. those dollars were being realigned to provide direct services to women so that more women would have access to more mammograms. number two, and i realize you might not know this because you don't live in the sixth district.. the sixth district does not have a single planned parenthood clinic. we do, however, have four community health center, and these are the front door for a full range of health care for low income women in our community, around the state of georgia. there are four planned parenthood clinics compared to 60 community health care centers. i have always been in the placec of wanting more funding for women to have greater access to health screenings, and that's what i will fight for. >> moderator: i'm sorry, but there is a planned parenthood cli

but i think karen handel going to washington is not just a win for karen handel. it's a huge win for the white house. big win for paul ryan. in karen handel republicans now have yet another house member who is fiscally conservative, who shared their conservative social values. also she wants to build a wall on the southern border and repeal and replace obamacare. i spoke to her last week in georgia. she said she does not necessarily support the border adjustment tax, the subject of much debate in house but she is on, she is firmly behind a lot of the policies that president trump is trying to put forth. you know, this is a huge win across the board. as we were talking about, this is a sweep for republicans. you cannot understate just the depression that democrats now face. they are torn between what kind of candidate they should run and the issues they should run on. instead of having a clear mask for the midterm there is confusion for the democratic party. >> bret: as much as we talk about for all the time spent talking in the media about a split in the republica

and karen handel thanked president trump. this crowd chanted trump, trump, trump as she thanked the president. a big win for republicans tonight at a time they knew they had to. >> krnk you, i appreciate that. live at karen handel's head quarters in atlanta. democrats across the country thought they could pull it off. they didn't. a very different move tonight at ossoff head quarters. >> reporter: there's a lot of disappointment, i'll tell you that in talking to some folks who have been with the ossoff campaign that very beginning for months. dabing away a few tears here and there. i see some people enjoying beers behind me. they're not as disappointed as you might think and part of that is because just talking to people they really felt they were part of something and they were just proud to even get close. i think they're so used being in the political minority as democrats that just to be involved in this where they had a shot, there's think is they're really taking away from that. and so you might go to other parties wher

karen handel said i have experience she won. >> let's go to handel headquarters in sfleent and do that -- >> you won! >> now, all of you know that i am a person who always loves to dot every i and cross every t. make sure we do that and i'll be back down in just a very short time. thank you all for everything. >> so in the end, do we still have john with us? >> i'm here. >> it sounds like she didn't want to declare just yet, she said she wanted to dot the is and cross the ts, but we're projecting her the winner. is that what you got from that. >> yeah, she's come down a couple times to keep supporters in the game saying everything looks good far. there are still more votes to be counted. the democrats are saying they don't want to the concede till they know about the absentee ballots and the like. can he possibly come back. >> i've been in communication was democrats and republicans on the ground who have been on the ground in the last few days. they both, democrats and republicans say no way. but if you're karen handel and through this before, she's lost a couple primaries before in o

but i think karen handel going to washington is not just a win for karen handel. it's a huge win for the white house. big win for paul ryan. in karen handel republicans now have yet another house member who is fiscally conservative, who shared their conservative social values. also she wants to build a wall on the southern border and repeal and replace obamacare. i spoke to her last week in georgia. she said she does not necessarily support the border adjustment tax, the subject of much debate in house but she is on, she is firmly behind a lot of the policies that president trump is trying to put forth. you know, this is a huge win across the board. as we were talking about, this is a sweep for republicans. you cannot understate just the depression that democrats now face. they are torn between what kind of candidate they should run and the issues they should run on. instead of having a clear mask for the midterm there is confusion for the democratic party. >> bret: as much as we talk about for all the time spent talking in the media about a split in the republica

karen handel ran about 2.5 points ahead of that.pproval rating in the district is about 11, 12, maybe 14 points better than it is nationally. so that means there are going to be places where the dynamic looks different. i would point to the main intervening event between now and the midterm election are going to be the governors elections in virginia and new jersey. this fall where donald trump's approval rating in both states in the most recent poll is under 40% and the republican gubernatorial candidates are polling in that range, as well. is he still a big shadow over this midterm election but what this says is that it's not collapsed on him in terrain that leans toward republicans. >> and seem marks when ron brownstein talks about reversions to the norm with this election, does it mean that money is not always a good predictor who will win an election? a lot of times it's. >> in california, a couple years ago, we had a governor's race where somebody spent $180 million and lost. a candidate spent maybe a fifth of that money. mone

and important to note handel did not win by embracing trump. distanced herself from him but this is not trump victory. do you agree with that? >> i don't. this is off base. the celebrity deal would have been fantastic in california. not in a southern state in georgia. the fact they were coming in from liberal elite groups is a huge turn off. once again they missed the boat. you are right on one thing. the message is they are off-base and handel ran a good campaign, stayed true to her base, thanks all the republicans, it was strong and trump -- >> she thanked trump. >> should this race have ever been this close. it squeaked out a victory for republicans, this should be a comfortable red district, should it not? >> this gave away a call to everybody involved but i will tell you it gave more a wake-up call to democrats because with the new party chairman perez and ellison, they thought they would bank on the rhetoric, to take over in the midterms in the special elections, not so. didn't work. rob: thank you so much. heather: it is 20 minutes until

i think karen handel going to washington is not just a win for karen handel, it's a big win for paul ryan. and karen handel, republicans have yet another house number who is fiscally conservative, who shares their social values, also, wants to build a wall on the southern border.al she wants to repeal and replace obamacare. i spoke to her last week in georgia, she said she did not necessarily support the border adjustment tax, which is a subject of much debate in the house. but she is on -- firmly behind a lot of the policies that president trump is trying to put forth. this is a huge wine across the board. asas we were talking about, this is a sweep for republicans. you cannot understate the pressure of the democrats now face. they are torn between what kind of candidate they should run in the mid terms, what kind of issues they should run on, instead of having a clear map for the midterms, there is a whole lot of confusion for the democratic party. >> bret: as much as we talk about, for all of the time spent talking in the media about a split in the republican party that some, like

republican karen handel wins in georgia. >> tonight's victory, it's for you. >> fending off a politicalewcomer in the most expensive house race in u.s. history. why some called this showdown a test of president trump's agenda. the controversial political ad that many say went way too far. and what this narrow victory means to a divided nation. >>> plus, viral agents. a new breed of talent. calls for a new breed of management. >> everyone's trying to figure out who are 13 to 24-year-olds watching? and the answer is people we're talking about right now. >> an entertainment company for social media stars. >> waylace the global ambassador of cover girl now. >> and where do you stop? >> we don't. >>> and time of her life. jackie kennedy's wristwatch up for auction at an unbelievable pricetag. the meaning of the personalized inscription on the back. but first, the "nightline" 5. . >>> number 1 in just 60 seconds. countless patients. countless ailments. countless hours. and guess what? you can handle it all. be a leader in your field with a bsn from strayer university. a nursing program create

republican karen handel has now pulled out ahead.test, let's go to john king. >> anderson, as you can see, the georgia sixth congressional district, red on the map. let's stretch it out a little bit. as you just noted, the republican candidate, karen handel, now with a six-point lead, 53-47%. a pretty healthy lead. we're at about two-thirds of the expected vote counted. still some votes to count from today, but roughly about two-thirds of the anticipated vote has been counted. 53-47. republicans will feel good about that, although we are not to the finish line yet. let me break down the district for you, as we've been doing through the night. pop this out a little bit and keep reminding you, this part above this green line is the district. you're getting votes from fulton county, which includesla atlant but only the voters up here actually cast ballots today. same for cobb county and dekalb county. what's happening in this race right now? we've said this throughout the night. the most important part of the district, cobb county for k

called secretary handel.se -- i kminded her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this now, let me address you. the more than 12,000 of you who as darkness has crept across this planet, have provided a beacon of hope for people here in georgia, for people across the country, and for people around the world. [ indistinct chatter ] [ intense music playing ] it's here, but it's going by fast. the opportunity of the year is back: the mercedes-benz summer event. get to your dealer today for incredible once-a-season offers, and start firing up those grilles. lease the gle350 for $579 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. lwho's the lucky lady? i'm going to the bank, to discuss a mortgage. ugh, see, you need a loan, you put on a suit, you go crawling to the bank. this is how i dress to get a mortgage. i just go to lendingtree. i calculate how much home i can afford. i get multiple offers to compare side by side. and the best part is... the banks come craw

called secretary handel.and, no, please -- i kminded her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening. kminded her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.kminded her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.ed her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.d her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening. her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.her. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.er. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.r. i commended her on a hard-fought race and on her victory this evening.. i commended her on a hard-fougie now, let me address you. the more than 12,000 of you who as darkness has crept across this planet, have provided a beacon of hope for people here in georgia, for people across the country, and for people around the world. >> my business was

karen handel wins it by 3.5%. and south carolina won by over 20 points ant republican won tonight by three and we saw the margins narrow significantly in the other special elections as well particularly in kansas. if democrats can do that everywhere they can 234rflip th house in 2018. but names like in spishl election did not turn out to be a harbinger when republicans had their big sweep that fall. >> it's a strong possibility now, in fact on average off election years the party out of power in the white house picks up 30 seats and 4 in the senate. i thit the senate is an impossibility for the democrats but the he house in grasp. my guess is if the democrats take it they will immediately start impeachment against the president. >> this tweet just came out jon ossoff's victory party, apparently has a cash bar, the guy raised record amount of money $27 million is charging people $9 for a glass of wine. so john maybe some of that money would have been better spent on buying everyone a round of drinks if. >> if you'r

karen handel received nearly 52% of the vote, defeating jon ossoff by almost 3%. president trump tweeted his congratulations for her big win. mark is there for us. >> reporter: karen handel won this special election comfortably in what was the most expensive house race in history. both side spent more than $56 million, but the seat of this affluent, educated district will stay republican. >> a special thanks to the president of the united states pof america. >> reporter: karen handel celebrated her new job by thanking president trump tuesday night. but it's the president who may be the night's biggest winner. on twitter he took a victory lap for "those that want to make america great again." >> my promise is to work every single day relentlessly to make our state and this country a better place. >> reporter: this house seat has been in republican hands since

cnn projects karen handel by four points. still it was enough to provide a big morale boost to republicans. >> last night after declaring victory, handel did not minimize the president. she and her supporters embraced him. >> and a special thanks to the president of the united states of america. [ applause ] >> make no mistake, that crowd was there to support trump. john ossoff falling short despite raising $23 million in the most expensive house race in u.s. history. in conceding he tried to paint a hopeful picture of democratic victories to come. >> this is not the outcome any of us were hoping for. but this is the beginning of something much bigger than us. it's extraordinary what you have done here. the fight goes on. >> republican ralph norman also won a special election in south carolina's fifth district with earlier wins in kansas and montana. to help us break it all down let's bring in eric live from atlanta. he was at the headquarters for election night last night. what is the takeaway for democrats? they are 0-4 for

it was overwhelmingly for karen handel. there was not the democratic advantage we expected in the early vote and there was strong republican enthusiasm in their base on election day. that's what propelled karen handel to this margin. this is the big surprise that i think overall tonight. five-point republican margin in georgia six. think of all the focus on georgia's six. you see a republican lead by five points there. look at this did you know this was happening tonight? south carolina the district to replace mulvaney, three-point margin. the democrats came within three points of winning this district. this is a rural district. rock hill is rural around there. this went for trump by almost 20 points. we've got democrats coming in within three points of winning this district tonight while in georgia, the one everybody in the party was paying attention to, the margin looks like five right now. big picture. this is the last of the special election season. take the margin for donald trump, he won all these districts. margin th

karen handel defeated jon oss f ossoff. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meg. it was not enough. handel thanked president trump during her victory speech after one of hthe many congressional races he will influence for better or worse. >> tonight let's celebrate. tomorrow the real work will begin. >> reporter: former secretary of state karen handel becoming the first woman elected to congress. >> my pledge is to be part of the solution to focus on governing. >> reporter: in his concession speech democrat jon ossoff seemed to claim a moral victory in a race that's seemed to have gone republican since the carter administration. >> at a time when politics has been dominated by fear and hatred and scapegoating and division, this community stood up. >> reporter: political analysts say democrats will have to figure out a new strategy to win back the house. >> democrats have to either redouble their efforts at those kinds of voters or find a difrp kind of voter to go and peel away. >> reporter: president trump repeatedly tweeted his sum port of handel. many view the r

speaking tuesday night, handel thanked president trump. ryan andey speaker simon across this country united sixth. us hold the [applause] and a special thanks to the president of the united states. amy: karen handel is the former secretary of state of georgia. she made national headlines in 2012 when she led an effort at the breast cancer charity susan g. komen to cut off funding for planned parenthood. she later resigned from the organization after the board voted to restore the money following a public outcry. on tuesday night, handel's challenger, 30-year-old democrat jon ossoff, addressed supporters. >> and we show the world that in places where no one thought it was even possible to fight, we could fight. [applause] we show them what courage and kindness and humility are capable of. we showed them that we can still build coalition of people who may not see i die on everything, but rather than demonizing each toer, we find common ground move forward. and that is the only way this country will move forward. amy: we go now to atlanta whe

that was always working in karen handel's favor. but democrats need to settle on a broader more effective strategy for 2018. they will be playing in more friendlier districts of course. but i think at this point right now this is going to be a demoralizing blow for enemy. >> congresswoman indeed to take up jeremy's point i'm looking at the score board. i hear democrats talking about moral vikts. 3-1 and moral vikts are 0-4 for the actually victory it has to be did he moralize ds. >> special elections tell us a lot and they don't they will us everything. what i look at congressional race to congressional race you know a seat in georgia for example held for 37 years by republicans it's a solidly republican district. and we came within spitting distance. and surely that's true in south carolina as well process. so i think what it tells us is clearly we have a message and we do going forward as democrats. but i think what it really tells us is that a lot of these marginal seats that are not the solid republican seats like these special

mike pence campaigning with karen handel. the president has been doing a ton of tweeting about this. what is the mood like at the white house and what more can you share? >> very focused on this race, no doubt about that. in addition to what you mentioned, president trump attended a fund-raiser at the end of april and also did that robo call for karen handel during the primary. let me read you some of thiz tweets for today. she will fight for lower taxes and strong security, a hard worker who will never give up. vote today. and then this one, hallie. democrat john ossoff wdoesn't even live in the district. the republicans trying to make an issue out of that. also argues he grew up in the district and lives just outside of it. republicans hitting him on that point. this is going to be seen as some extent on a referendum to president trump. no doubt about that. president trump narrowly won that district, hallie. not only are the polls tight right now, the politics right now in the district seem to be deeply divided. so, republi

karen handel at this point at 51.4, jon ossoff at 48.6.got 35 and change. it's early and there are still a lot of votes to come in. life coverage throughout the evening on that tonight. today the senate judiciary committee held a hearing on free speech on our college campuses. zachary ward, a junior spoke eloquently about his concerns and his education at the number one ranked liberal arts college in our country, with williams college, which by the way cost $52,000 a year. here is equity. pico in my time at williams i cannot name a single conservative speaker that has been brought to campus by the administration. this fact is problematic precisely because the overwhelming majority of students at williams and liberal police. this adds to what many commentators as referred to as the echo chamber. in classrooms, liberal arguments are often treated as unquestionable truths and in some cases conservative students even feel the need to refrain from stating their opinion and fear of being shut down. i appreciate the desire of my administration to

you can see they are watching news there at that handel headquarters.was a big win because a lot of people said that this was going to be a referendum on the current presidency. chris stirewalt, national politics editor is with us here. it's hard to put into words how significant this is because democrats thought they would pull this out. >> and republicans were preparing for disaster. they were preparing for a loss in just a few weeks ago the polls were showing ossoff up by seven points, six points, karen handel closed smartly at the end and you have to wonder, democrats put so much emphasis and so much attention on this race, did it actually end up rallying the base connected they finally say fine women may not be enthused about trump in his district, but we will not let you push us around, we will come out in numbers. >> the question now is what does this mean, what does it do, what is the reaction? i think there was a reverberation of what it does to the democratic party, they are scratching their head about what kind of candidate they need in a tru

[applause] amy: karen handel is the former secretary of state of georgia. she made national headlines in 2012 when she led never as the breast cancer chairlift susan g. komen to cut off funding for planned parenthood. memeanwhile, in south carolilin, republicans pulllled off anonotr victory in the special election to fill the seat left vacant by director of the office of management and budget mick mulvaney. republican ralph norman eked out a narrow victory over democratic challenger archie parnell. norman won only 51% of the vote -- a smaller margin than expected. we'll have more on the georgia and south carolina races after headlines. in news from capitol hill, attorney general jeff sessions has become the latest member of trump's inner circle to hire a personal lawyer amid the ongoing investigations into the trump administration's ties to russia. vice president mike pence and trump himself have also hired personal lawyers. on tuesday, special counsel robert mueller met with members of the house intelligence committee to discuss a plan to ensure that their

the big picture for republican steele the georgia six runoff election between john asaf and karen handel investigative reporter greg palast slinks they couldn't ill explain why in just a moment and donald trump has confirmed he's under investigation how much longer are republicans willing to sit by and let this dumpster fire burn the whole house down alaska greer and kind newkirk into night's big picture. the latest polls out of the sixth district of georgia show the democrat john os off as about a three point advantage over republican challenger karen angle if these polls are accurate asaf will sneak by with a win in tuesday's special runoff election or will he one of america's leading investigative journalist now thinks that the georgia six runoff will be stolen or at least could be by republicans and their racist voter suppression laws joining me now to explain just what's going on down in georgia is greg palast state a reporter and creator of the new documentary the best democracy money can buy billionaires and ballot bandits greg welcome back. glad to be with you tom and why don't w

karen handel is not running away from president trump. he held a fundraiser with her.campaign tweeted out a fundraising emall today, the headline on it was did you see what trump just tweeted, question mark. so he's not separating herself from the president. she is running with president trump, and, so, we will see what voters think of it. it's a very narrow victory that president trump had in 2016 in that district, even though it was designed to be a safe republican seat. >> woodruff: a lot of interpreting going to be going on tomorrow night, into wednesday and maybe later. >> we love narratives, come on! we have to keep doing this! >> woodruff: speaking of narratives, what was your take on what jay sekulow had to say, the president's attorney we talked to a few minutes ago? >> yeah, what we heard in his interview with you that seemed to be a little different than what we heard over the weekend was the acknowledgment that jay sekulow said over the weekend the president's not being investigated, what he acknowledged with you because we don't know for sure he's not bein

right now, karen handel is leading by 2 1/2 points. joining us with more and why this matters, john king. so polls closed just at 7:00 p.m. what's the latest on this race? >> the latest, anderson, is expect a long night. we have some early votes from fulton county, about 72,000 votes so far. this map is a bit misleading. i want to draw a line for you. this is the sixth congressional district. has a piece of cobb and dekalb counties, a piece of fulton county. these are the votes up here. this is the numbers so far. 51% for the republican, karen handel, 49% for the democrat, jon ossoff. what does that tell you? we have a close race. if fulton county stays like that. this is a republican area of the district. but jon ossoff did quite well here in the april runoff election. our projections tell us this is what he has to do to stay competitive in the district. he can lose fulton county, but only a couple of points. if it stays like this, we're expecting early votes from the other counties in the next half hour and we go on from there. so th

late last night he congratulated karen handel for her when. the president tweeting congratulations to karen handel in her big win in georgia's six. fantastic job. we are all very proud of you, he said. the president said ralph norman ran a fantastic race to win in the great state of south carolina's fifth district. we are all honored by your success tonight. you can read more at the hill.com today. as the president noted karen handel defeated democrat jon ossoff in george's record spending special election congressional race. with all precincts reporting, ms. handel, former secretary of state led 52%-48% margin of nearly 11,000 votes out of more than 250,000 ballots cast. here's a look at her victory speech to supporters last night and we will follow that with jon ossoff. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. i have to start first of all by saying thank you. [cheers and applause] there are literally hundreds of people to thank, and scores of elected officials and gop leaders who put the confidence in me right from the very beginning, and i would

karen handel, the republican.itionally is a republican seat as we look at the history here, newt gingrich, johnny isakson, tom price. this is a very, very close race. the other race tonight, if you want to call it george of the prize fight, south carolina may be the undercard. south carolina's fifth congressional district, archie parnell and ralph norman fighting for the seat left open by by mick mulvaney, the budget director. let's talk about the special elections and begin with the panel. michael crowley, senior correspondent for politico. mercedes schlapp and charles krauthammer. we've seen it blown up about how important it is. >> these are generally not predicted. in 2010, there was no indication you'd have a republican sweep, as you did. i can't predict who's going to win that i can predict with absolute certainty what the headlines are going to be. if the democrat wins, the headlines are going to be "a referendum on trump." guaranteed. if he loses, the headlines will be "in a race that doesn't mean anything

why is the mainstream media ignoring the role voter suppression may have played in helping karen handel defeat john asaf in the georgia six runoff greg palast just a mole and the senate republican health care bill is secret no more just one problem it's not really a health care bill will discuss what it really is into its politics panel what they would call on and krrish. since the race was called thursday night a variety of theories have been put forward to help explain john asaf loss to karen handel in the special run off election for georgia's secure groeschel district some think just didn't have a message others think that the georgia six was just too conservative for any democrat to win very few pundits however virtually none of the mainstream media are looking at the wall voter suppression may have played in handing former georgia secretary of state karen addle a four point victory joining me now to talk about just that is greg palast investigative reporter and creator of the brilliant new documentary the best democracy money can buy a tale of billionaires and ballot bandits greg

congrats to karen handel on a huge win in georgia. democrats lose again, 0-4. total disarray. america great a mandate is stronger than ever, big league. democrats across the country wh november will have to regroup. the president is a little stronger this morning. error wa where he lives, which is outside the district. david. >> steve osunsami who has been covering the race for us, thanks. let's bring in jonathan karl and our congressional correspondent

donald trump has been tweeting about it, saying congratulations to karen handel.polls do not paint a good picture. motlop, one of the most if not the most unpopular president in the history of the united states so why did they win? it is difficult to extrapolate from this particular district because it was so unusual. the amount of money and the attention given. but clearly they managed to win enough support from the republican base and again, the republican base in this district is rather different to the kind of support donald trump got from the general election bash those white—collar workers who traditionally were vote democratic. it is difficult to say what has happened here. and whether it will happened here. and whether it will happen elsewhere. the message as far as democrats are concerned is that they can come close but they still have a lot of work to do if they wa nt to have a lot of work to do if they want to get the 2a seats they need at the next mid—term election to ta ke at the next mid—term election to take back the house. stay with us on bbc news,

there she is, karen handel defeating democrat jon ossoff. the 30-year-old for a seat held by her party for decades. fending off what would have been a political upset that would have rattled congress and, of course, the white house. abc's janai norman has the latest from washington where the president was actually already offering congratulations overnight. good morning, janai. >> reporter: kendis and adrienne, good morning to you. it was definitely a hard fought victory for karen handel. she managed to beat out the young democrat and held on tight to that seat held by republicans for nearly four decades. 30-year-old jon ossoff had supporters across the country and hoped to be a breath of fresh air for georgia's 6th district. >> we are going to show those cynics in washington, d.c. who have been peddling hate and >> reporter: the candidates appeared to be neck and neck. a sign to democrats as a voter rejection of president trump. but the outcome, a sigh of relief for republicans that could provide a much needed boost to trump's base. >> toni

and here's why karen handel won last night.e democrat did what he intended to do, he would have liked to have been six points ahead in dekalb. he fell short in cobb county. remember this district has been in republican hands since back to the jimmy carter administration. the biggest chunk of voters here in the northern part of fulton county and john ossoff simply failed to meet the test he needed. plus the reliable republican vote here. again, democrats had high hopes of sending president trump a message, instead karen handel will soon join the republicans in the house. >> tonight, let's celebrate and tomorrow the real work will begin. the hard work of governing and doing that in a civil, responsible way that is in the best interests of every georgia, every sixth district citizen and every citizen of the united states of america. >> now it's always wrong to read too much into one election. especially one offyear special election. still last night was a big deal for a number of reasons. for starters, a president with lousy poll