Republican Karen Handel has won a hotly contested congressional race in the US state of Georgia, fending off a challenge from Democrat Jon Ossoff in the heavily Republican House district.
With almost all votes counted on Tuesday night, Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, had 53% of the vote with Ossoff wining 47%.
Ossoff, a political newcomer, sought to gain control of a suburban Atlanta district that has elected Republicans to Congress since the 1970s.
Tuesday’s contest, which drew national interest, was the most expensive House race ever costing both sides more than $50 million, nearly twice the previous record.
The race was good news for Donald Trump because Democrats had prompted it as a referendum on the Republican president, who had earlier congratulated Handel in a tweet.
“Congratulations to Karen Handel on her big win in Georgia…