Runoff Election Announced for Georgia House Seat After Marjorie Taylor Greene Departure

The race to fill the vacancy left by former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District is heading to a runoff. This follows a special election where no candidate managed to secure a majority of the votes on Tuesday.

Leading the pack in the nonpartisan “jungle-style” election was Democrat Shawn Harris, a military veteran with experience as a combat infantry commander in Afghanistan. Harris, who previously challenged Greene in 2024, came out on top with approximately 37% of the vote. He is set to face Republican Clay Fuller in a runoff scheduled for April 7.

“This isn’t about me,” Harris remarked after his advancement to the runoff. “It’s about the people of northwest Georgia. This outcome is a victory for them, as they’re calling for a strong leader in Congress.” He added confidently, “Yes, we’re heading to a runoff, but that’s not a setback. I’m eager to secure a win on April 7.”

Financially, Harris has been a formidable contender, having raised $4.3 million by February 18, with around $290,000 still available, according to the Associated Press. His fundraising efforts outpaced all other candidates in the race.

“Yes, we got to go to a runoff – that’s not a problem … I’m looking forward to actually winning here on April 7.”

Harris outraised every candidate in the field as of Feb. 18, with about $4.3 million raised and about $290,000 in the bank, according to the Associated Press. 

Fuller, who was endorsed by President Trump, was the top-performing Republican in a race where several GOP candidates split the vote. The Air National Guard officer and district attorney received about 35% of the vote in the solidly red district. 

“I’m proud to have kept my word to run on my record and vision for how I want to represent this district,” Fuller, who had pledged to run a “positive campaign,” wrote on X ahead of election day. 

He added, “If I can’t win on my record then I don’t need to win. I’ve not paid for a single ad talking about a fellow Republican because that’s not how I wanted to compete.”

Fuller, who raised about $787,000 over the course of the campaign, had the second-largest war chest, with about $238,000 in the bank.

More than 20 candidates, including Democrats and third-party hopefuls, were on the ballot in the northwest Georgia district.

A handful of recent withdrawals trimmed the field of active contenders to 17 by election day.

Firebrand state Sen. Colton Moore garnered the second most votes among Republicans but fell short of advancing to the April 7 runoff.  

Moore, a self-described “RINO Wrangler,” was infamously shoved to the ground and arrested in the Georgia House chamber last year after attempting to enter during Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address. 

A GOP firebrand, like Greene, Moore was previously barred from the chamber due to blistering 2024 remarks about late House Speaker David Ralston. 

Moore received 11.6% of the vote Tuesday night.

Trump outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the district by a massive 68%–31% margin in 2024. 

The district borders Alabama and Tennessee and spans 10 counties, with Paulding being the most populous, followed by a portion of Cobb.

Greene, who had served in Congress since 2021, departed on Jan. 5 after a public falling out with Trump. 

Greene’s shocking retirement announcement last November came after the president withdrew his “support and endorsement” of the then congresswoman after she broke with the administration in several areas, including by voicing support for an extension of Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies and demanding the release of documents related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Her departure narrowed the GOP’s already slim majority in the House.

Greene did not make an endorsement in the race.