Ossoff and Handel Blast Ad Tying Democrats to Baseball Shooting
Comes after increased security concerns in Georgia House race to fill Price’s seat
Both Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican candidate Karen Handel criticized an ad by a PAC tying Democrats to the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise and others last week.
The ad by Principled PAC says “the unhinged left is endorsing and applauding shooting Republicans” before saying it won’t stop “if Jon Ossoff wins.”
Ossoff and Handel are in a tight race for the open House seat in Georgia vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Election Day is Tuesday.
The ad features the now-infamous picture of actress Kathy Griffin holding a bloody severed head of President Donald Trump.
The ad says voters must stop Ossoff and Nancy Pelosi, who a number of outside groups and Republicans have tried to make an issue in the race.
Handel’s spokeswoman Kate Constantini called the ad “disturbing and disgusting,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
“For any group to use the shootings this week for political or personal benefit is shameful,” Constantini said.
Ossoff said that Handel should call for the ad to come down.
“The man is fighting for his life,” Ossoff said of Scalise.
Brad Carver, GOP chairman in the neighboring 11th District, told the Washington Post that he thinks the shooting “is going to win this election for us.”
“Because moderates and independents in this district are tired of left-wing extremism. I get that there’s extremists on both sides, but we are not seeing them. We’re seeing absolute resistance to everything this president does. Moderates and independents out there want to give him a chance. Democrats have never given this president a chance,” Carver told the Post.
Last week, both candidates spoke about increased security concerns in light of the shooting with Handel describing receiving a suspicious substance and Ossoff hiring a security detail.