Handel dismisses Ossoff's record-setting fundraising: 'It means nothing'

Republican Karen Handel. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Credit: Tamar Hallerman

Credit: Tamar Hallerman

Republican Karen Handel. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican Karen Handel on Saturday dismissed Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff's recent record-setting fundraising haul as her campaign prepared its final get-out-the-vote push during the final days of early voting in Georgia's 6th District special election.

Handel said 6th District voters can see through Ossoff's $15 million fundraising haul, which was collected in a staggering six-week period.

“It means nothing," Handel said following a morning meet-and-greet with about 200 supporters at a barbecue restaurant in Marietta. "It means that an ultra-liberal, backed by Nancy Pelosi, is trying to steal this seat and we’re not going to let it happen.”

She said voters here "are not interested in people from California, Massachusetts and New York buying this seat."

Handel reported pulling in $3.8 million worth of donations over the same period. That's a more than respectable sum for an ordinary congressional race, but this nationally-watched contest has rapidly become the most expensive ever run.

During a short stump speech in Marietta, Handel continued to hammer Ossoff on his connection to Pelosi much as she did during this week's debates. She mentioned the first female speaker of the House a half-dozen times in her six minute-long speech. A recent AJC poll shows why: 58 percent of likely voters in the 6th hold an unfavorable view of the Californian.

The former secretary of state also indicated she wasn't dwelling on a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll that had her running behind Ossoff.

"It wouldn’t matter if a poll had either one of us up by 20 today. It’s irrelevant," Handel told reporters. "It is about who is coming to the polls, and we can see with the numbers coming in early voting that it is most certainly trending my way."

"We just really have to keep the momentum going," she added.

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