Washington, not Marietta or Roswell, dominates first Sixth District debate

Former House Speaker Tip O'Neill coined the slogan "all politics is local." But that once reliable catchphrase felt like a relic Tuesday during the first head-to-head debate in the nationally-watched contest for Georgia's 6th District congressional seat.

Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel tangled over many of the same big-ticket policy items that dominated last year’s presidential contest, from terrorism to health care and campaign finance.

And as much as the candidates sought to carve out their own space, President Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were never far from the foreground during the hour-long debate, which aired live on WSB-TV.

Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, repeatedly tied Ossoff to Pelosi and the most liberal factions of the Democratic Party. She mentioned the California Democrat, who became the first-ever female speaker of the House in 2007, more than 10 times during the debate.

A former congressional aide, Ossoff avoided discussing Pelosi and instead repeatedly framed himself as an "independent." He pivoted to other issues such as investing in the tech sector and elevating American leadership on issues such as climate change.

And both avoided discussing Trump head-on unless asked about the commander-in-chief directly.