Politics: LIVE! Georgia special election results

Find out the results of Georgia's high-stakes special election.

Polls have officially closed in Georgia's highly-anticipated special election in the 6th Congressional District. The race pit 30-year-old Democrat and political neophyte Jon Ossoff against Republican Karen Handel, who is Georgia's former secretary of state.

Georgia's special election was billed as a potential referendum on President Donald Trump, who has heavily endorsed Handel's candidacy.

Read below about why and how the race to fill a congressional seat in a non-election year catapulted to national attention to become the most expensive House race in US history.

This story is developing. Check back for updates ...

Georgia's 6th district seat unexpectedly opened up when former congressman Tom Price was tapped by Trump to head up the Department of Health and Human Services.

Price represented Georgia's 6th for 12 years, and the district has been held by Republicans for almost 40 years. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich represented it for 20 years, from 1979-1999.

When Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced a special election would be held in April to determine who would replace Price, it immediately sparked nationwide attention, as Democrats and Republicans viewed it as an opportunity to shape the electoral landscape into the 2018 midterm elections.

The special election kicked off with a crowded field — 11 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 2 independents faced off against each other.

Ossoff quickly emerged the Democratic frontrunner, while Handel was viewed as the likely Republican candidate. In the first round of the election in April, Ossoff garnered about 48% of the vote, while Handel got 20%.

In order to declare victory in the first round of Georgia's special election, a candidate needs to break the 50% vote threshold. Though Ossoff was close, neither candidate got the required vote share, so the election moved to a runoff, which took place on Tuesday.

The results of the first round were "a wake-up call" for Republicans, Chip Lake, a Republican strategist in Georgia and former Capitol Hill chief of staff, told Business Insider.

Republicans are typically favored to win the district because it's an open, suburban seat in the South, which is where the party runs strongest. Ossoff's strong showing in the first round galvanized Democrats looking to punch back at Trump, and set off alarms among Republicans aiming to defend their seats.

Rachel Paule, a Democratic grassroots organizer in the 6th district, said the biggest indicator of local Democratic sentiment she'd seen was the number of "secret liberals who came out of the woodwork" after Trump was elected last year.

A Republican congressman "was just sort of a given, and a lot of people were afraid to speak out because this is such a conservative area," Paule said of Georgia's 6th District. She said Ossoff's candidacy had given her and fellow organizers a chance to "make meaningful change" by flipping the seat.

The national Democratic and Republican parties also took intense interest in the race. To date, Handel and Ossoff have collectively raised more than $50 million — which makes Georgia's 2017 special election the most expensive House race in US history.

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