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Jon Ossoff Falls Just Short of Victory in Georgia Special Election, Triggering Runoff

After nabbing 48 percent of the vote, Ossoff will run against the second-place finisher, Republican Karen Handel, in June.

Despite a frenzy of national attention and millions of dollars, Democrat Jon Ossoff failed to win the votes needed to seize a Georgia congressional seat in a special election Tuesday night. The seat, located in Georgia's 6th district in the suburbs of Atlanta, has been held by Republicans for almost 40 years.

The election was an open primary, with 18 Republican and Democratic candidates running against one another. To win the seat outright, Ossoff—a 30-year-old filmmaker who grew up in the 6th district but does not currently live in it—had to win 50 percent of the vote.

He came close, capturing around 48 percent of the vote, though the final tally was still not in when the results were projected early Wednesday morning. There will now be a runoff between Ossoff and the likely second-place finisher, Republican Karen Handel, in June.

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