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SANDY SPRINGS, Ga., April 9 (Reuters) - After the crushing electoral losses that swept Donald Trump into the White House and sealed Republican control of the U.S. Congress, the Democrats' road to recovery winds through the leafy, well-heeled suburbs of north Atlanta.

Here, Democrats are threatening a stunning special election upset that could signal how well the party can turn Trump's low approval ratings into political gains. And they appear to have an ally in the April 18 vote: Trump himself.

In the most-watched congressional race so far in the Trump era, a wave of grassroots anti-Trump fervor has positioned Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old political newcomer, to possibly capture a House of Representatives seat held by Republicans for decades, one of 24 seats Democrats need nationwide to reclaim the House.

"The grassroots intensity here is electric, and it's because folks are concerned that what is happening in Washington doesn't represent our values," Ossoff said in an interview. "This is a chance for this community to stand up and make a statement about what we believe."

With Democrats desperate for signs of hope after Hillary Clinton's loss to Trump, Ossoff's underdog "Make Trump Furious" campaign has endeared him to national anti-Trump activists and pushed him well ahead of 17 rivals in polls. The documentary filmmaker and former congressional aide raised a jaw-dropping $8.3 million in the first quarter, his campaign said.

"I've never seen the Democrats around here so engaged, and it's Donald Trump who got us so engaged," said Carolyn Hadaway, 77, a veteran party activist and retired software engineer from Marietta, a city of about 60,000 people in Georgia's central Cobb County.

Georgia would seem an unlikely venue for a Democratic revival. Trump won it by about 5 percentage points in November. And its voters backed Republican nominees in eight of the last nine presidential contests, including the last six in a row.

But demographic changes are brewing. Growing minority communities and transplants from other regions have made Atlanta's suburbs increasingly competitive for Democrats. Georgia's sixth congressional district, the location for April's special election, exemplifies changes common in booming southern cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville.

The district is white collar, educated and doing well economically, with median household incomes of $80,000 versus $50,000 statewide, and nearly 60 percent of adults holding a college or professional degree, more than twice the statewide average. It is also increasingly diverse, and in recent years became a magnet for well-educated immigrants from India and other parts of Asia.

The district was about 80 percent white at the turn of the century. But since then, the black share of the population has grown from 10 percent to 13 percent, the Hispanic share has doubled to 12.5 percent and Asian representation doubled to more than 10 percent.

About a fifth of the district is now foreign born twice the statewide average, according to census data.

Though newer immigrants may not be eligible to vote, census data indicate more than 40 percent are naturalized citizens, potentially bringing a different set of views on issues like immigration to the table than the voters in this district who sent Trump adviser and former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to Congress for 10 straight terms.

RELATED: Newt Gingrich through the years

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Newt Gingrich through the years

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UNITED STATES FILE PHOTO: Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., gives a lecture on Sept. 18, 1993 during the first day of his 'Renewing American Civilization' course taught in fall 1993 at Kennesaw State College in Kennesaw, Ga. The course later became part of Congressional ethics violation charges leveled against Gingrich in 1996. (Photo by Bill Clark/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 5: Newt Gingrich(L), speaker of the US House of Representatives, laughs as US President Bill Clinton(R) looks on during a meeting of the bi-partisan leadership of Congress 05 January at the White House. The day after the opening session of the 104th Congress, Republicans and Democrats met with Clinton to discuss the legislative agenda. (COLOR KEY: Red in ties.) (Photo credit should read J. DAVID AKE/AFP/Getty Images)

CLAREMONT, NH - JUNE 11: President William Jefferson Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, share a laugh at a meeting held at a senior citizens center in Claremont, N.H. (Photo by John Bohn/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

ME.Gingrich.Newt.RDL (kodak) House speaker Newt Gingrich greets supporters at a fundraiser at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers in Anaheim. TIMES (Photo by Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., speaks during the ceremony to unveil his portrait in Statuary Hall. (Photo By Douglas Graham/Roll Call/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 17: (AFP OUT) Former U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) (L) speaks as he is interviewed by moderator Tim Russert (R) during a taping of 'Meet the Press' at the NBC studios December 17, 2006 in Washington, DC. Gingrich spoke on various topics including the war in Iraq and the 2008 Presidential election. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 06: Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich attend the 32nd Kennedy Center Honors at Kennedy Center Hall of States on December 6, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

MANCHESTER, NH - JANUARY 07: Republican presidential candidates (L-R) former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry participate in the ABC News, Yahoo! News, and WMUR Republican Presidential Debate at Saint Anselm College January 7, 2012 in Manchester, New Hampshire. The GOP contenders are in the final stretch of campaigning for the New Hampshire primary, the first in the nation, to be held on January 10. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WOLFEBORO, NH - JANUARY 07: Republican presidential candidate, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich speaks during a campaign town hall meeting at the Wright Museum January 7, 2012 in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. According to a CNN/Time/ORC poll released Friday, Gingrich has dropped from 43-percent in December to 17-percent, putting him even with fellow candidate, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. However, both are trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney who is polling at 37-percent. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Republican presidential hopefuls, former Massachusetts Govenor Mitt Romney (L), former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, take the stage for the NBC News, Tampa Bay Times, National Journal Republican Presidential Candidates Debate at the University of South Florida, January 23, 2012, Tampa, Florida. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Republican presidential hopeful, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, delivers remarks during a Hispanic Town Hall January 28, 2012 at the Centro de la Familia church in Orlando, Florida AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/GettyImages)

MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 22: Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (L) and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich laugh as they participate in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona at the Mesa Arts Center February 22, 2012 in Mesa, Arizona. The debate is the last one scheduled before voters head to the polls in Michigan and Arizona's primaries on February 28 and Super Tuesday on March 6. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 30: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich speak during a tribute to former president Ronald Reagan at the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 30, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate during the RNC which will conclude today. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO -- (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) -- Episode 4289 -- Pictured: (l-r) Newt Gingrich, Nicole 'Snookie' Polizzi, Callista Gingrich backstage on July 18, 2012 -- (Photo by: Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - FEBRUARY 27: Former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) addresses the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) February 27, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland. Conservative activists attended the annual political conference to discuss their agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: Former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright(L) and Newt Gingrich attend The Washington Post White House Correspondents' Pre-Dinner Reception at The Washington Hilton on April 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images)

CINCINNATI, OH- JULY 6: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R) introduces Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump during a rally at the Sharonville Convention Center July 6, 2016, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Trump is campaigning in Ohio ahead of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)

CINCINNATI, OH- JULY 6: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R) introduces Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump during a rally at the Sharonville Convention Center July 6, 2016, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Trump is campaigning in Ohio ahead of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)

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April's special election fills the seat vacated by Tom Price, the new secretary of health and human services. It gives both parties a chance to test their messages for election battles next year in suburban districts where Democrats need to make inroads and where Trump's populist economic message did not sell well in November.

While Price sailed to re-election with 62 percent of the vote, Trump barely beat Clinton in Georgia's sixth district by one percentage point. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney beat Democratic President Barack Obama in the district by 23 points.

'JUMP OVER A CLIFF'

Republican candidates nationwide will closely watch the result as they calculate whether to embrace the president.

The 11 Republicans in the race have split between those who portray themselves as Trump supporters and establishment candidates who keep a respectful and sometimes wary distance.

"I'm ready to support him," former state senator Dan Moody, who was endorsed by U.S. Senator David Perdue, said of Trump in an interview. But "I'm not going to jump over a cliff with him."

Grassroots Democratic groups flood the district's tidy suburban neighborhoods on the weekends, busing in volunteers from as far away as Maryland to go door to door on Ossoff's behalf.

The Ossoff momentum worries Republicans, say party officials, and outside help has arrived. A super PAC aligned with House Republican leaders put more than $2 million into ads painting Ossoff as too young and inexperienced.

Ossoff played down the strategic value of a possible upset.

"The national implications here will be about how this affects the political calculus for folks in the Republican conference in the House, not about how Democrats are supposed to run in the midterms," he said.

'CONCERN, NOT PANIC'

In a low turnout special election, getting supporters to the polls is vital, and Democrats have voted early in greater numbers than Republicans so far.

"We aren't panicking, but there is concern," said Maggie Holliman, a member of the Republican state executive committee.

Ossoff's best chance is to win the April 18 vote, a "jungle primary" that features all 18 candidates from both parties on the same ballot. If no one reaches 50 percent, the top two vote getters square off on June 20.

Republicans are confident they can win a one-on-one race with Ossoff, as the party unites with organizational and financial help pouring into the Republican-majority district.

"There is a chance Ossoff can win without a runoff, but that's his only chance. He's benefiting from unified Democratic support and Republicans being highly divided," said Georgia-based Republican strategist Joel McElhannon.

Polls show Ossoff hovering in the low 40s, not enough to avoid a runoff. The leading Republican, former Secretary of State Karen Handel, is well behind.

Handel has been cautious in talking about Trump. She said in an interview she expected to work with him on issues such as tax reform and border security, but "first and foremost" she would be a conservative advocate for her district.

By contrast Republicans Bob Gray, a local business executive, and Bruce LeVell, head of Trump's national diversity coalition, pledge undivided loyalty to the White House. Gray said he was the Republican in the race who performed the behind-the-scenes political groundwork for Trump in the district.

LeVell pulled out his cellphone and showed a reporter text messages from Trump aides Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and even Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner to prove his insider status with the White House.

"If people are looking for someone to help Trump, I'm their guy," he said. (Additional reporting by Howard Schneider in Washington; Editing by Jason Szep and Mary Milliken)

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Kellyanne Conway since the election

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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 24: Kellyanne Conway is seen as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks at a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday January 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Kellyanne Conway and one of her daughters arrives at Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on January 2, 2017 in New York. / AFP / KENA BETANCUR (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 469 -- Pictured: (l-r) Kellyanne Conway during an interview with host Seth Meyers on January 10, 2016 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 469 -- Pictured: (l-r) Kellyanne Conway during an interview with host Seth Meyers on January 10, 2016 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway speaks at the annual March for Life rally in Washington, DC, U.S. January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

White House senior advisor Kellyanne Conway chats with repoters on board Air Force One as they wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to arrive for travel to Philadelphia from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

White House senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (C) stands with a Secret Service agent as they wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to arrive to board Air Force One for travel to Philadelphia from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

White House Senior Advisor Kellyanne Conway stands near a bust of late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with labor leaders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Senior aide Kellyanne Conway listens while White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer holds the daily press briefing January 23, 2017 at the White House in Washington, DC. / AFP / Nicholas Kamm (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Senior staff at the White House Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon (L-R) applaud before being sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence in Washington, DC January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Counselor to U.S. President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway prepares to go on the air in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Counselor to U.S. President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway prepares to go on the air in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

White House Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks, Senior Counselor Steve Bannon and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway arrive for the presidential inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. REUTERS/Win McNamee/Pool

Kellyanne Conway, advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, departs for a church service before the 58th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump kisses his campaign manger Kellyanne Conway's hand at a pre-inauguration candlelight dinner with donors at Union Station in Washington, U.S. January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway arrives to attend a candlelight dinner at Union Station on the eve of the 58th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Kellyanne Conway, advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, arrives with him aboard his plane at Reagan National Airport in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Kellyanne Conway, senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives to a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Trump today mocked protesters who gathered for large demonstrations across the U.S. and the world on Saturday to signal discontent with his leadership, but later offered a more conciliatory tone, saying he recognized such marches as a hallmark of our democracy. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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In Georgia, a Democrat's 'Make Trump Furious' campaign rattles Republicans - AOL