Surely you don't see this as a sustainable business model. Ossoff raised $24M mostly from out of state donors. Handel - a terrible candidate in her own right - raised $4.8M. Let that sink in, and then tell me that these special elections touted as referendums against the GOP will have that kind of funding available for a democrat in a Georgia congressional race during a full election cycle when those out of state donors are busy financing their local candidates.
It's hard to tell. You are right that in a full election cycle the out of state money is not a factor in most House races. I think Handel was a lousy candidate but also take a look at Ossof. A 30 year old wet behind the ears guy with a thin resume who didn't care to move just 5 miles so his opponent couldn't score points (it was her primary weapon) by claiming he was an 'outsider' - which he really wasn't.
It's hard to tell. You are right that in a full election cycle the out of state money is not a factor in most House races. I think Handel was a lousy candidate but also take a look at Ossof. A 30 year old wet behind the ears guy with a thin resume who didn't care to move just 5 miles so his opponent couldn't score points (it was her primary weapon) by claiming he was an 'outsider' - which he really wasn't.
Handel actually has name recognition and has won a statewide election, so she was ready made. I don't think it even mattered who the Democrats ran as long as they had a pulse and could come off as credible.
Ossof fits that criteria - barely. I don't get the feeling that losing this election is a big deal to him. He was raised in that district but allowed his living just outside of it to become an issue in the election. Handel never failed to mention it and even Trump mentioned it in a tweet today. That's not exactly how a seasoned politician would run a campaign.