Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff has set a new national record for out-of-state fundraising in his bid for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.
Only about 3.5 percent of Ossoff’s $15 million reported fundraising total came from within Georgia, according the Atlanta Journal Constitution. More than 14 percent came from California and New York.
Ossoff, a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker, faces Republican Karen Handel June 20 in a special election to replace former Republican Rep. Tom Price. Price accepted President Donald Trump’s offer to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Handel has made a point to criticize Ossoff for the unprecedented financial support he’s received from outside the district.
“You might live just five miles outside of the district, but your values are nearly 3,000 miles away in San Francisco,” Handel said to Ossoff at a June 6 debate. “That’s why so many of your contributions have come from liberals from California, New York and Massachusetts.”
The two candidates are locked in a statistical dead heat four days from the election. A FOX 5 Atlanta poll released Friday showed Ossoff with 49.7 percent to Handel’s 49.4 percent.
Ossoff’s $15 million haul brings his total recorded fundraising number to over $23 million. The political upstart raised a record $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2017 ahead of the April run-off.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has invested millions into the race, seeing it as not just a chance to steal a traditionally safe seat from Republicans, but also to send a message that voters are soundly rejecting President Donald Trump. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has poured at least $5 million into the race.
While the 6th district just narrowly supported Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, Price won the seat by 23 percentage points in November.
[contentcards url=”http://dailycaller.com/2017/06/16/ossoff-sets-record-for-out-of-state-donations/” target=”_blank”]Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].