Poll: Democrat up 7 points in Georgia House race

Democrat Jon Ossoff is 7 points ahead of Republican Karen Handel in the race for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District seat, according to a SurveyUSA survey released Monday. 

Fifty-one percent of likely and actual voters in Georgia say they would vote for Ossoff if the election were held today. Forty-four percent say they would vote for Handel, while 6 percent are undecided.

The runoff will be held June 20 and is being closely watched by both parties as a potential bellwether for how President Trump could affect the 2018 midterm elections. 

Trump won Georgia’s 6th District by 1.5 percent in November despite the district typically voting for the GOP. 

The Georgia seat was formerly held by Republican Tom Price, who is now Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services.

{mosads}The SurveyUSA poll found that one issue Republicans have sought to make an issue in the race — Ossoff’s current residency outside the district — is not catching on with voters. 

Fifty-one percent say the location is “not an issue,” while 21 percent call it a “minor issue” and 27 percent call it a “major issue.” Another 2 percent are unsure.

Ossoff’s race with Handel is the most expensive House battle in history, with outside groups having poured more than $18 million into the race so far.

Democrats are casting the race as a referendum on Trump’s presidency, aiming to pick up a House seat once thought safely Republican.

Trump nominated Price in November, with the Senate ultimately confirming the pick in February.

SurveyUSA conducted its latest survey of 549 likely and actual voters in Georgia via cellphone and landline telephone interviews from May 16 to 22. It has a 4.3 percentage point margin of error.