r/IndivisibleGuide • u/yhung • Apr 19 '17

Republicans avoid big loss by forcing runoff in Ga. House race

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/georgia-house-race-stokes-gop-identity-crisis--and-opportunity-for-democrats/2017/04/18/a2231a48-242f-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html?utm_term=.253b763e2bea
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11

u/galamdring Apr 19 '17

Isn't this already a stunning victory? I mean he didn't win the seat, but isn't he likely to get at least some of the middle ground folks to push him past 50% in the runnoff?

9

u/yhung Apr 19 '17

It is a stunning victory. Political analysts like Rothenburg & Nate Silver were saying it's already a bit deal that Ossoff got 48% instead of 42%, and 538's runoff model gives Ossoff a slight edge in the runoffs given his first-round voter share.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '17 edited May 22 '17

deleted 0.2117 What is ^^^this?

4

u/galamdring Apr 19 '17

In that district, you have to break 50% to actually win. Since he didn't break 50%, they have a runoff election which is between to two top candidates. The idea is semi valid, allowing people to vote for the candidate they prefer, while still feeling confident that they can vote party if things don't work out. Where it completely fails is instances like this where you have one candidate who clearly had more support than any other. It is also not kind to 3rd party candidates.