All eyes are on Georgia’s sixth district Tuesday night, where Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff has a long shot chance to steal the traditionally right-leaning seat from Republican Karen Handel in a special election to replace President Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
Because the district has been held by Republicans since 1979, even a modest win for Handel could be seen as a victory for Democrats. With that in mind, Late Night host Seth Meyers invited “Democratic strategist” Ben Holland—actually one of his writers—on his show, which taped hours before polls closed in Georgia, to give his reaction either way. “We’re going to have you first answer questions as if Ossoff wins and then we’ll have you answer them as if he loses,” Meyers explained to his guest.
Under the scenario in which Ossoff wins, the pundit said, “It is not an overstatement to say that the political world was turned on its head tonight” and that “anything short of victory would have been a disappointment.” And if he loses? “We always knew this was going to be a long shot. The fact that Jon Ossoff was even competitive was a major win for the Democratic Party.”
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If he wins, “This election was always going to be a referendum on the disastrous presidency of one Donald J. Trump.” And if he loses, “This election was always about the local issues and the people of Georgia. To extrapolate some broader national message would simply be foolish.”
The strategist’s spin only got more surreal when Meyers asked him to weigh in on the weather and asking his girlfriend to marry him. Finally, the host asked his guest what Democrats will do moving forward if Ossoff wins.
“We will frame the messages of this election in a mass email to raise money for the Democratic Party,” he answered. And if Ossoff loses? “We will frame the messages of this election in a mass email to raise money for the Democratic Party.”
