Georgia GOP Congressional Candidate Applauds Trump Decision To Fire Comey

Republican candidate for Georgia's Sixth Congressional seat Karen Handel speaks at an election night watch party in Roswell, Ga., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Republicans are bidding to prevent a major upset in a conservative Georgia congressional district Tuesday where Democrats stoked by opposition to President Donald Trump have rallied behind a candidate who has raised a shocking amount of money for a special election. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Republican candidate for Georgia's Sixth Congressional seat Karen Handel speaks at an election night watch party in Roswell, Ga., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Republicans are bidding to prevent a major upset in a conserv... Republican candidate for Georgia's Sixth Congressional seat Karen Handel speaks at an election night watch party in Roswell, Ga., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Republicans are bidding to prevent a major upset in a conservative Georgia congressional district Tuesday where Democrats stoked by opposition to President Donald Trump have rallied behind a candidate who has raised a shocking amount of money for a special election. (AP Photo/David Goldman) MORE LESS
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Karen Handel, the Republican candidate in the runoff to fill an open U.S. House seat in Georgia, on Wednesday praised President Donald Trump for firing James Comey as the director of the FBI.

“It’s been clear for some time that FBI Director Comey has lost the confidence of Republicans, Democrats and broader institutions, and his removal as FBI Director was probably overdue,” Handel said in a statement. “I hope that the President will quickly nominate a strong, independent leader as the next Director of the FBI and that the Senate will consider the nomination as quickly as possible.”

Her opponent in the race, Democrat Jon Ossoff, on Tuesday night called for a special prosecutor to investigate potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in light of Comey’s firing.

Before securing a spot in the runoff, Handel was reluctant to embrace Trump, barely mentioning the President on the campaign trail. But since the initial jungle primary in April, Handel has taken a slightly different tack, beginning with her comments welcoming Trump to campaign with her.

Handel and Ossoff will face off on June 20 for the House seat representing Georgia’s historically ruby-red Sixth Congressional District, and as one of the first hotly contested House races since the 2016 election, political observers view it as a referendum on Trump’s young presidency. Democrats are optimistic about winning the race because Trump only won the district by one point in November.

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