Georgia Democratic House candidate Jon Ossoff on Thursday declined to place himself on an ideological spectrum, saying he's not interested in "purity tests."

"I'm simply not interested in ideological labels or purity tests. I'll tell you where I stand on the issues, and then I'll let the pundits decide how to label me," Ossoff said during an interview on CNN.

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Ossoff, who is running for the Georgia House seat vacated by Tom Price when he became Health and Human Services secretary, came close to an outright win in Georgia's special election on Tuesday but ultimately failed to reach the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

He will face Republican Karen Handel in the closely watched runoff election in June.

Ossoff's comments came two days after Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters Why Democrats must confront extreme left wing incitement to violence MORE (I-Vt.) said he didn't know whether the political newcomer and former congressional staffer is a progressive.

"I don’t know," Sanders said Tuesday during an appearance in Louisville, Ky. "If you run as a Democrat, you’re a Democrat."

“Some Democrats are progressive, and some Democrats are not,” he added.