MSNBC's Joe Scarborough early Wednesday said Jon Ossoff's loss in the Georgia special House race should be a "wake-up call" for Democrats.

"This should be a wake-up call for the Democratic Party, who has been doing nothing but losing since 2010 in these legislative races," Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, said on "Morning Joe."

"I heard last night Ossoff say, 'we've started something great.' No, you lost. At some point, the time for moral victories is over. Sometimes winning is just about winning."

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Scarborough said Democrats need to learn from this experience and "figure out how to win next year."

Republican Karen Handel won Georgia's special House election Tuesday night, dealing a major blow to Democrats who were hoping to score an early win against President Trump ahead of the 2018 midterms.

Republicans are already pointing to Handel's victory as evidence that backlash against Trump won’t win the House for Democrats.

Immediately after Handel's win, GOP groups began chiding Democrats for earning only a “moral victory” by moving the race into contention, arguing that the result shows Democrats are doomed next year.

The fight for the traditionally safe Republican suburban Atlanta seat had become the most expensive House race in history.