Voters will choose either Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff to present metro Atlanta's 6th district in Congress.
Democrats have pitched the race in this traditionally staunchly conservative, affluent district of Atlanta's suburbs as an early referendum on Trump's presidency and a possible harbinger of the party's fate in the 2018 midterms.
Those trends leave Democrats hopeful they can win a House majority next year.
Out of the 435 seats in the House, 239 are now held by Republicans.
Her win comes after losing bids for governor in 2010 and the Senate in 2014, and it builds on a business and political career she built after leaving an abusive home as a teen.
After thanking Republican leaders for their support, Handel gave a "special thanks to the President of the United States of America", which was greeted by chants of "TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP" by her audience.
(AP Photo/David Goldman). Karen Handel, Republican candidate for Georgia's 6th congressional district talks to reporters during a campaign stop at Old Hickory House in Tucker, Ga., Monday, June 19, 2017.
Lewis is praising Ossoff supporters for making "a major down payment on change not just in the 6th District but.in our nation".
Handel supports the Republican plan that cleared the House last month. "Karen! Karen!" at her entrance.
"I think in the 6th District we have a chance to make a decision about who's going to lead us whether the president is there or not there, whether his policies are good or bad", said Mr Ware, 63.
Handel told about 200 supporters: "Y'all rock".
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With about 83 percent of the vote counted, Handel was ahead 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, prompting CNN and NBC News to call the race in Handel's favor.
The 6th District seat has been in the Republican Party's hands since 1979.
"The most important thing that we're learning is that every single race is in play today", Adrienne Lever, an organizer for Swing Left on the ground in Georgia, tells Bustle. State officials say they're confident the technology is secure.
Polls are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm (1100-2300 GMT). "They just want the opportunity to be judged by their qualifications and their experience".
Voting concluded at 12.00 a.m. BST, but results were not expected for several hours.
UPDATE: 10:50 P.M.: This article was updated to include Ossoff's concession remarks and Handel's victory speech.
However, Ossoff couldn't pull this win off, and plenty of think-piece analysis will undoubtedly follow across the Internet. If $24 million in small-donor fundraising, millions of dollars more from Democratic super PAC's, and a president with a job performance rating in the mid-30's can't get a Democrat elected, what can? The two meet in a June 20 special election. On Friday, a WSB poll showed Ossoff leading Handel 49.7 percent to 48 percent. That's next door to the 6th District, but not in it.
As much of the district was drenched by rain and under flash flood warnings, election officials reported few issues at the polls amid steady turnout by early afternoon.
"We're seeing very high numbers", says Candice Broce with the Georgia Secretary of State's Office. An investigator also went to a church in Cobb County after a complaint that campaigns signs were too close to the location. Trump tweeted early Tuesday that Ossoff will raise taxes, is weak on crime and "doesn't even live in district". She hosted a fund-raiser for Ossoff in Washington, DC, but has avoided campaigning for him in the Georgia district.
In another tweet, Trump praises Republican Karen Handel as a hard worker who will fight for lower taxes, great health care and strong security.
The seat had been vacated by Tom Price when the former congressman joined Trump's cabinet to become secretary of health and human services and previously held by Republican stalwarts like Senator Johnny Isakson and former speaker Newt Gingrich. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign finance watchdog, total spending in the race has topped US$56 million, setting a new record as the most expensive House campaign in history.
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