A Republican candidate in a nationally watched Georgia congressional race said she doesn't support a "livable wage."
That was the way Karen Handel explained her opposition to a minimum-wage increase during a debate Tuesday night with opponent Jon Ossoff, a Democratic upstart who has become a face of the opposition movement to President Donald Trump, and is aiming for an upset that would rock Washington ahead of the 2018 midterms.
Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, was repeating the phrasing Ossoff had just used to explain his limited support for mandate wage increases that he said would yield a "livable wage," and her position follows standard Republican orthodoxy on Capitol Hill.
But her choice of words — "I do not support a livable wage" — could become fodder against her before the June 20 special election in Georgia's 6th Congressional District. And it certainly could become grist as Democrats nationally continue their efforts to frame Trump and Republicans as foes of the working class.
Federal minimum wage is $7.25. Many states and cities have higher minimums, though Georgia is not among them. There is a national labor movement to increase the federal mark to $15 an hour, and many Democrats in Congress advocate at least a $10.10 hourly wage.
Handel did not take questions Tuesday night from media, and her campaign did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about her remarks.
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