In the first round of voting in the Georgia Sixth congressional race, Jon Ossoff, boy Democrat, declared that he had won a “victory for the ages.” In reality, he had captured around 48 percent of the vote, short of what he needed for actual victory.

Ossoff’s nearest rival, Karen Handel, ran far behind Ossoff, with only around 20 percent of the vote. However, her count was depressed by the fact that the field was full of Republican candidates. In addition, Ossoff had raised around $8.3 million. Even with those advantages, he still fell short of true victory.

Now, a new poll by WSB-TV, Landmark Communications shows Handel with a slim lead over Ossoff. She’s at 49.1 percent; he’s at 46.5 percent. However, the margin of error is 4 percent. Thus, the race is neck-and-neck.

Democrats, though, must be discouraged to see their young champion at below the number he reached in the first round. And Handel must be delighted that Republican support appears to have coalesced so uniformly behind her.

Fearing the worst, Democrats petitioned to reopen voter registration for the run-off, to be held on June 20. A federal judge granted their request, ordering that registration be open until May 21. He thereby overturned the practice that, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, has been in place since Democrat Cathy Cox was secretary of state (1999-2007).

If $8.3 million and the backing of Hollywood celebs won’t win the race, change the rules. It’s the Democrats’ way.