Karen Handel, Republican candidate for Georgia's 6th congressional district greets diners during a campaign stop at Old Hickory House in Tucker, Ga., Monday, June 19, 2017.

Georgia Special Election Results:

South Carolina Special Election Results:

In a major blow to Democrats, Republican Karen Handel defeated Democratic rival Jon Ossoff on Tuesday in Georgia’s closely-watched sixth district congressional special election.

CNN projected that Handel had won the race just after 10 p.m. ET. Decision Desk HQ projected earlier in the evening that the Republican candidate would be the winner.

Georgia’s sixth district has been a conservative stronghold for over a decade, having previously been represented in the House of Representatives by Republican Tom Price, who now serves as President Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary. Trump fared worse in the district than Mitt Romney in 2012, however, creating an opportunity that Democrats hoped to exploit to send a message that backlash to the president could propel the party to victory in conservative parts of the country.

In a sign of how much Democrats and Republicans alike wanted to win, money poured into the Georgia special election at a rapid clip, earning it the distinction of the most expensive House race in history.

The GOP notched a second victory on Tuesday evening in a South Carolina special election to replace former Republican Representative Mick Mulvaney, who vacated his House seat to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget. South Carolina’s race largely flew under the radar and was not expected to be as competitive as the Georgia election. While Republican Ralph Norman defeated Democrat Archie Parnell, however, the final vote count was closer than anticipated. Decision Desk HQ projected that Norman would win shortly after 9 p.m. ET.