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2018 Midterms: Former TV anchor bidding for Handel's seat

Bobby Kaple is a former TV news anchor in Atlanta.
IMAGE BOBBY KAPLE CAMPAIGN

Jon Ossoff has been on the mind of Karen Handel seemingly since the GOP's new 6th district congresswoman took office a few months ago after the most expensive congressional election in history.

Handel has invoked Ossoff's name in multiple fundraising emails to her supporters, including from two weeks ago: "I’ll be honest, Friends. I have no idea what he’s going to do. But from what I’ve heard, our old friend Jon Ossoff is seriously considering running for Congress again ... We must be prepared no matter what happens."

But while Ossoff hasn’t officially indicated if he’s considering a rematch with Handel, the first-term GOP congresswoman did get a Democratic challenger on Monday.

Bobby Kaple, a former TV anchor in Atlanta, announced he is running for Handel’s seat during next year’s midterms.

“It’s obvious to everyone here in Georgia that the career politicians are more interested in serving the special interests instead of their constituents," Kaple said. "It’s time for a new generation of leaders ready to get things done. We can’t end the dysfunction in Washington if we keep sending career politicians and expecting different results.”

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Kaple said he started as a gofer in the TV business and worked his way up to the anchor desk at CBS46.

“Healthcare coverage is a big priority for me," Kaple said. "Growing up, I watched my mother battle breast cancer while building her successful business. Then, I spent the longest two weeks of my life watching my children struggle to learn to breathe on their own.”

Kaple’s twin children were born prematurely and spent the first weeks of their lives in the NICU at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.

“In Congress, I’ll fight passionately to make sure every American has access to affordable healthcare," Kaple said. "I will not sit by and let Washington politicians take us back to the days of denying coverage to those who are sick and placing lifetime caps on people’s care. That’s wrong and people here know better.”

Handel won the seat earlier this year in the race to replace Tom Price, who resigned to become President Trump's secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Price, however, resigned after less than eight months in office when he came under fire for using expensive private jets while on official government business.

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