In the final weeks before the first vote in Georgia's 6th District election, Republicans aiming for Democrat Jon Ossoff found a ready foil in Nancy Pelosi.
Internal polls showed the House minority leader with abysmal favorable ratings in the district, which has been in GOP hands for decades, and a fundraiser she hosted for the 30-year-old candidate gave Republicans a hook.
With a June 20 runoff against Republican Karen Handel looming, national GOP groups have resumed waves of ads depicting Ossoff as a "yes man" for Pelosi. Similar ads are running against Democrat Rob Quist in Montana, where voters will decide an open U.S. House seat there in May.
In an NBC interview on Sunday, Pelosi sought to dismiss the attacks as political "bankruptcy" from a desperate GOP.
"Well, when Republicans put forth these ads, it shows the bankruptcy of their own initiatives. The voters in their districts want to know what they are going to do for them," Pelosi told Meet the Press. "But since you brought it up, and I'm glad you did, I think it's really important for the voters in those districts to know who the candidates will be voting with."
She went on to slam House Speaker Paul Ryan and other GOP leaders who she said want to “dismantle Medicaid.”
Moderator Chuck Todd also asked Pelosi if the attention around Ossoff was "overstated" given that he pulled around the same support that Hillary Clinton drew despite spending more than $6 million of his campaign haul.
“No, not at all,” said Pelosi, adding: “We're very proud of that, and really just someone who has attracted personally such support. He made a remarkable showing. It's about him and the commitment he has made to the people of that district. We feel very confident.”
Read more of the AJC's coverage of the 6th District vote:
About the Author
