Jewish Atlanta Favorites 2017 From the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival to the Weber School Rams, check out the 25 winners you selected. Pages 16-18
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VOL. XCII NO. 25
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JUNE 23, 2017 | 29 SIVAN 5777
Handel Keeps Republican Hold on 6th District After all the hype, debate, analysis and money, the 6th Congressional District remains where it has been since 1979: in Republican hands. Former Secretary of State Karen Handel, who trailed Democratic newcomer Jon Ossoff by more than 28 percentage points in the 18-candidate special election April 18, won the runoff Tuesday, June 20, with 52.1 percent (132,459 votes) to Ossoff’s 47.9 percent (121,635), according to unofficial but complete results. “Tomorrow the real work will begin, the hard work of governing and doing so in a civil and responsible way that is in the best interest of every Georgian, every 6th District citizen and every citizen in the U.S.,” Handel said at the Hyatt Regency at Villa Christina in Brookhaven. The victory makes Handel the first Republican congresswoman in Georgia’s history and the state’s first congresswoman since Democrat Cynthia McKinney in 2006 lost a primary to Hank Johnson, whose campaign included Ossoff while he was a Georgetown University student. Ossoff’s loss means Georgia still awaits its first Jewish congressman since Democrat Elliott Levitas left office in 1985. “This is the beginning of something much bigger. We showed them we can still build coalitions of people who don’t see eye to eye on everything, but rather than demonizing each other, we find common ground to move forward,” Ossoff said in
Photo by Sarah Moosazadeh
East Cobb residents Mitchell (left), Adam and Amy Kaye turn out to cheer on Karen Handel at the Hyatt Regency at Villa Christina.
his concession speech at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter in Sandy Springs. “Hope is still alive. The fight goes on.” The four-month, two-election campaign to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price cost nearly $60 million, according to an Issue One analysis of all spending by and for candidates. That’s more than $130 for every registered voter in the district, more than $230 per vote cast and more than twice the price of what had been the most expensive U.S. House election. Most of that money came from outside Georgia, with the Ossoff campaign receiving anti-Trump donations from around the nation and Handel benefiting from Republican super PACs. The cash
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influx was driven by national narratives related to President Donald Trump’s popularity and Democrats’ hopes to capture the House in 2018. The 6th District sweeps from East Cobb through North Fulton to North DeKalb. About 8 percent of the district is Jewish, representing 40 percent or more of Atlanta’s Jews. It has been held by Republicans since Newt Gingrich won the seat in 1978, though the district’s borders have changed dramatically since then. “Karen Handel has a proven track record of success and fiscal responsibility, which I think is important to voters. Other issues cannot even begin to be addressed until we create a healthy economy,” East Cobb resident Adam Kaye said at the
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Handel celebration. “She is a passionate conservative, and that is the type of representative this district needs. Karen Handel has always been a supporter of Israel, and I don’t anticipate that changing.” It was a long night for those who campaigned for Ossoff, such as Matt Weiss, a member of the American Jewish Committee ACCESS board. Weiss said it was important to send a message to Trump that even residents of a Republican district aren’t happy. “It’s obviously disappointing. It’s a very Republican district, so it’s always going to be tough,” Weiss said. Ossoff “made enormous progress. … Hopefully he’ll have another opportunity to do something else in politics.” Shouts of “2018” came from the crowd during Ossoff’s speech. Handel will face re-election next year, with the party primaries scheduled for May. Georgia also will elect a new governor. Handel reached out to Ossoff supporters. “I will work just as hard to earn your confidence in the weeks and months ahead,” she said. “I give every Georgian a promise to make this state and this country a better place to live. I pledge to be part of the solution.” Although voters faced torrential showers and flash flooding Tuesday, the vote total for the runoff exceeded the primary by more than 60,000, resulting in a turnout of 57 percent. ■
AN INSPIRATION
David Lubell of Decatur, the founder and executive director of immigrant-inclusion nonprofit Welcoming America, is the winner of the Charles Bronfman Prize for applying Jewish values for global good. Page 14