TOWARDS the end of the marathon election in Georgia’s sixth congressional district, Jon Ossoff was in Cobb County for a “Juneteenth” celebration—commemorating the abolition of slavery—in the company of John Lewis, a fellow Democrat who represents much of nearby Atlanta. The Economist asked Mr Lewis if the race was worth the more than $50m spent on it, making it easily the costliest in congressional history. “It’s worth everything,” Mr Lewis said. “We’re talking about the future of America.” The moment captured the oddity and excitement of the contest, and previewed what, for Democrats, was ultimately bitter disappointment.
To begin with, compare the two men. Mr Lewis is a revered civil-rights leader. Composed and eerily disciplined, Mr Ossoff is a 30-year-old political novice: an unlikely champion of his party’s hopes, though that is what he became, in a vote that came to be seen as a referendum on Donald Trump and the Republican agenda. Judging by the volume of lacerating tweets he dispatched, Mr...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2sTNtoG
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