Republican wins Georgia election, blow to anti-Trump effort

Republican Karen Handel won a fierce, closely-watched special congressional election today in Georgia, US media projected, salvaging a seat in traditional conservative territory where Democrats had hoped to strike a blow against Donald Trump's presidency.

With about 83 percent of the vote counted, Handel was ahead with 52.6 percent of the vote compared with 47.4 percent for Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, prompting CNN and NBC News to call the race in Handel's favor.