TL/DR –
Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris have advanced to a runoff in the special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia. Neither candidate was projected to win the majority needed to avoid a runoff in the special election, with Fuller at 35% and Harris at 37% of the vote. Fuller, a district attorney who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, is viewed as the favorite to win in the heavily Republican district.
Georgia House Special Election heads for Runoff
Republican candidate Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris advanced to a runoff in the special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th District, as projected by NBC News.
District Attorney Fuller leveraged President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Harris, a retired Army brigadier general, had lost to Greene in the 2024 general election.
The race is heading for a runoff with neither candidate securing the majority. Harris garnered 37% of votes, while Fuller collected 35%. Fuller enters the April 7 runoff as the favorite.
Endorsed by Trump, Fuller publicized this support and garnered backing from GOP megadonor-funded group, Conservatives for American Excellence, and Club for Growth Action.
Sarah Umphrey, 77, an NBC News interviewee, cited Trump\’s endorsement as a significant factor in her vote for Fuller.
Fuller previously ran for Congress in 2020, losing to Greene in the GOP primary.
Harris, having raised $4.3 million, launched ads criticizing politicians for ignoring the struggles of Georgians.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg endorsed Harris, emphasizing that no state or district is permanently aligned to a single party.
Greene resigned in January following a disagreement with Trump over his handling of records related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Greene criticized Trump\’s foreign affair focus, asserting that “‘America First’ should mean what was promised in 2024.”
With 22 candidates, including 17 Republicans, in this special election, any candidate winning more than 50% to avoid a runoff was improbable. Five Republican candidates ended their campaigns before the ballot.
Republican Colton Moore, a former state senator, came third with 12% of votes.
Despite lacking Trump’s endorsement, Moore positioned himself as a staunch supporter of the \”Make America Great Again\” movement.
This year, Moore was arrested for attempting to enter Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address without permission and was removed from the GOP caucus for criticising fellow Republicans who refused to impeach a District Attorney.
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