The special election held on Tuesday night in Georgia’s 14th congressional district to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is expected to proceed to a runoff, as no candidate secured an outright majority of the votes. According to projections by CBS, the two candidates advancing to the runoff are Republican Clay Fuller, who carries the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, and Democrat Shawn Harris. These two emerged from a crowded field of 17 candidates vying for the seat.
Clay Fuller, a former district attorney, was publicly backed by Trump, who issued a “complete and total endorsement” via his social media platform Truth Social and also showed support at a rally in Rome, Georgia, last month. Trump’s involvement in the race provided an early indication of how much influence he may exert in the upcoming midterm elections scheduled for November. Fuller himself acknowledged Trump’s impact on Tuesday night, stating, “For those of you who questioned how important Donald J Trump is to this country, to Georgia 14, and the state of Georgia, you see what this man means to this community, what he means to the people in this country, and what he means to the MAGA movement.”
The runoff election is scheduled for April 7. The winner will serve the remainder of Greene’s term, which ends in January. However, the victor will have to immediately gear up for the full congressional term campaign during the midterms later this year.
On election night, Democrat Shawn Harris actually received the highest number of votes. Analysts suggest that Harris’s lead was partly due to the Republican vote being split among many candidates. In the runoff, Harris will face only Fuller, which could consolidate the Republican vote behind Fuller. By the following morning, Trump had already begun rallying support for Fuller, posting on Truth Social: “Clay Fuller is going to be a fantastic Congressman in representing the Great State of Georgia. Now we have to be careful and finish it off. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Democrats are also mobilizing early momentum. Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg congratulated Harris on the social platform X, saying, “Proud to be in your corner - and looking forward to campaigning with you on Saturday.” Harris himself told the BBC that his campaign would “stay true to what we’ve been doing” heading into the runoff. He expressed a desire to reach out to voters who supported other candidates, saying, “Everybody who voted for any other candidate [...] I want to talk to every last one of them, and say: ‘Give me a chance.’”
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s larger-than-life political persona undoubtedly cast a long shadow over the election. Greene served nearly six years in Congress, during which she became known for her bombastic appearances before committees, her embrace of conspiracy theories, and her hardline stance on immigration. She was one of Trump’s most vocal supporters during her tenure, but their relationship soured over the release of the Epstein files. Greene had pushed for legislation demanding the government disclose its trove of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, despite Trump’s opposition. Eventually, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law after political pressure, but the rift between the two remained unresolved.
Since leaving office in January, Greene has used her social media platform X to criticize Trump over the US and Israel’s military operations against Iran, signaling ongoing political discord. When voters went to the polls on Tuesday, they were not only choosing a replacement but also considering the implications of this feud and the political direction of the district.
Voters faced a daunting choice among 17 candidates spanning both parties. For many Republicans, Trump’s endorsement was a key factor in guiding their vote, as they sought a candidate who would reliably champion the former president’s agenda. Marsha Miles, a Republican voter outside a polling station in Rome, Georgia, told the BBC she “would have voted for Fuller anyway,” but Trump’s endorsement confirmed he was the “right choice.” She also cited Fuller’s morals, military service, and what he stands for as reasons for her support.
Fuller campaigned on a platform closely aligned with Trump’s priorities, including mass deportation, boosting domestic manufacturing, and adopting a tough-on-crime stance. Teresa Lumsden, who attended Fuller’s election night party, described him as “the perfect choice for representation in this area,” reflecting strong support from the local Republican base.
On the other side, Democrats in the district are hopeful of flipping the seat after