WASHINGTON _ Now that the GOP field has been winnowed from 11 to one in Georgia's 6th District, a major GOP super PAC is increasing its spending to boost GOP nominee Karen Handel in the June runoff.
Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by House GOP leadership, is investing an additional $3.5 million in the race, bringing their total investment in the district to $6.5 million.
Democrat Jon Ossoff fell short of winning the April 18 primary outright and advanced to a runoff against Handel, the former Georgia Secretary of State.
"CLF's work to define Jon Ossoff has only just begun," CLF executive director Corry Bliss said.
"The idea that the Democrats' chosen candidate is someone who doesn't even live in the 6th District, has no record of accomplishment, and is relying on Nancy Pelosi to fund his campaign shows how desperate they are," he said.
The bulk of the group's new spending is a $2.5 million TV campaign beginning May 10. The new spending also includes a targeted mail campaign and digital outreach. CLF was the first major outside group on the ground in the district and is now boosting its field efforts with plans to knock on 200,000 doors.
After an internal survey in March showed a closer-than-expected race in the primary, CLF dispatched top staffers to the district to build a field effort. They hired three companies to knock on doors, overseen by CLF staff, to ensure that committed GOP voters turned out. The team knocked on over 92,000 doors in the last month before the primary.
Now, the super PAC is shifting to turning out low-propensity GOP voters, and urging them to get out early. Ninety full-time door knockers will hit homes seven days a week for eight hours a day, exceeding any field efforts undertaken by the Handel campaign or the National Republican Congressional Committee. CLF's field office in the district will remain open through the 2018 elections.
Democrats are also boosting their field efforts, with Jon Ossoff's campaign committing more resources toward on-the-ground targeting of independent and GOP voters who may be unenthused by a GOP nominee who's lost two statewide bids for office. Ossoff's campaign spent $2 million on field in the run-up to the primary, with 100 full-time field staff and 10,000 volunteers.
