The exit of Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from Washington in January has left a significant void in Republican representation for Northwest Georgia, a traditional GOP bastion.

Leading a crowded field of 17 contenders in Tuesday’s special election is Clay Fuller, a judge who has secured the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

Fuller appeared alongside Trump during a rally in Rome, Georgia, last month, where he vowed to become a ‘MAGA warrior’ and expressed confidence in winning the upcoming special election, bolstered by Trump’s ‘total and complete’ backing.

However, shortly after offering his endorsement, Trump made a misstep suggesting he was remaining impartial.

“They say whoever I endorse is going to win. But we have a lot of good candidates that want to take her place,” Trump remarked the following week.

The White House opted not to elaborate on Trump’s comments, redirecting attention to his initial endorsement of Fuller.

Taylor Greene has stayed neutral in the race, and it’s unclear how Tuesday’s results will pan out.

Polls in the first round of voting close at 7 pm Eastern.  

President Donald Trump greets patrons at The Varsity as Republican congressional candidate, Clay Fuller looks on, on February 19, 2026 in Rome, Georgia

Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green talks to reporters outside the Capitol on February 06, 2024

If no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote, the top two winners will advance to the runoff election.

The seat is rated an R+19 GOP stronghold.

Aside from Fuller, other top contenders include former state senator Colton Moore, who was arrested by state troopers last year after attempting to enter the House chamber, from which he had been shunned by the Republican speaker. 

Colton Moore, a now former GOP State Senator, is detained by Georgia State Patrol as Moore attempted to enter the state House of Representatives for the state of the state address at the Georgia Capitol, Thursday, January 16, 2025, in Atlanta.

Twenty-two total candidates declared for the race and will appear on the ballot. 

Three Democrats are running in the jungle primary alongside 17 Republicans, one Libertarian, and one independent. Five Republicans who qualified for the race have since withdrawn. 

Outside of Fuller and Moore, the 10 other GOP candidates are as follows.

Nicky Lama: Lama is a former member of the Dalton, Georgia City Council who resigned his post in January to run for Congress. He is a business owner, as well as a rancher and farmer. On his campaign website, Lama touts himself as a ‘next-generation conservative leader’ who back Trump and the MAGA movement. If elected, he pledges to cut taxes, protect the Second Amendment, secure the southern border, and champion the unborn.

Nicky Lama, a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, participates in a political forum with other candidates in Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S., February 10, 2026

Reagan Box: Box brings a multifaceted background to the race, having conducted turtle research in the Florida Keys, done mission work in Costa Rica, and trained and shown horses across the US. Today, Box is a rancher and farmer. On her campaign website, Box promises to ‘fight against the influence of special interest money that has infiltrated every chamber of our government.’ She also promises to tackle the national debt, political weaponization, and stand up against ‘Big Pharma and Big Tech’ if elected.

Reagan Box, a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, participates in a political forum with other candidates in Kennesaw, Georgia, on February 10, 2026

Star Black: Black is a 28-year retired veteran of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who believes that ‘public service is about showing up when times are tough, not creating chaos for personal attention,’ per her campaign website. She has also been a CEO of four businesses, including a FedEx contractor. If elected, Black promises to bring her decades of problem-solving and caregiving experience to the job, having also been a caregiver for both her mother and her husband.

Star Black, a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, participates in a political forum with other candidates in Kennesaw, Georgia, on  February 10, 2026

Beau Brown: Brown has worked a slew of jobs, including in the restaurant, pharmacy, retail, and insurance sales industries. He is also a licensed real estate broker and has  provided ‘business solutions and risk engineering’ for businesses across the southeast, per his campaign website. If elected, Brown promises to fight for veterans, back Trump’s plan to eliminate the federal income tax via tariffs, and protect the Second Amendment.

Beau Brown, a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, participates in a political forum with other candidates in Kennesaw, Georgia, on February 10, 2026

Eric Cunningham: Cunningham has worked in the supply chain, transportation, and logistics industries for nearly thirty years. Per his campaign website, Cunningham is running a race ‘focused on God, Family, and Country and putting GA-14 First for a change!’ If elected, he pledges to back both law enforcement and border security personnel, promote rural economies through economic development, and stand for life and religious freedom.

Eric Cunningham, a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, participates in a political forum with other candidates in Kennesaw, Georgia, February 10, 2026

Tom Gray: Gray is pastor and former Vanderblit University football player who coached college football for two years ‘before God called him into full-time ministry,’ per his campaign website. As pastor, Gray grew his church from under a dozen attendees to a group of over 700, and also touts the fact that his organization has no debt. If elected, Gray would ‘protect families, secure borders, defend freedom, and preserve the Constitution as written.’

Tom Gray, a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, participates in a political forum with other candidates in Kennesaw, Georgia, on February 10, 2026

James (Jim) Tully: Tully touts that he has presently been self-employed for in the commercial furniture design industry, after working as a union truck driver, railroad demolition operations, roofing and flooring. He has also been involved in Republican politics in Georgia holding several community leadership positions. Tully’s top issues include election integrity, medical freedom, and caring for veterans.

Georgia Congressional Candidate James (Jim) Tully in an image seen on his campaign website

Brian Stover: Stover bills himself as a ‘conservative businessman’ website who is also active in supporting non-profit organizations in his community, per his campaign website. If elected, Stover plans to focus on ‘fiscal responsibility, long-term planning, and protecting quality of life for local families.’

Megahn (Meg) Strickland: Stickland is a conservative mother who notes education as a top campaign. She also ‘worked for U.S. Senator Richard Burr during the early years of the Obama administration,’ per her campaign website. She also believes that ‘Washington should work for families.’

Jenna Turnipseed: Turnipseed is an Army veteran who deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. She now runs Chickamauga Creek Farms, a produce farm. If elected, Turnipseed is a fan of the MAHA movement, and wants to promote nutrition and fix the healthcare system.

Republicans James Brown, Jared Craig, Larry Hilley, Christian Hurd, Trey Kelly have all unofficially withdrawn from the race, per Ballotpedia.

Andrew Underwood is a Libertarian who has previously run for the seat in 2022. Rob ‘Rush’ Ruszkowski in the Independent in the race.

The three Democrats in the race are Jim Davis, Shawn Harris, and Jonathan Hobbs. There is speculation that the top vote-getter Tuesday night may be a democrat, as the GOP field is so vast. That would send a Democrat and a Republican to the runoff.

Harris is a retired Brigadier General with the United States Army, who wants to pay teachers better, pass a farm bill, and protect veterans. He also touts a ‘tough but compassionate immigration policy,’ on his campaign website.

Democratic congressional candidate Shawn Harris works on his cattle farm in Rockmart, Georgia, USA, 18 February 2026

Davis has limited information on his campaign website, but boosts himself as someone who will enact change without ‘political chaos’, and restore ‘steady leadership.’ 

Hobbs touts his top issues as affordability, infrastructure, immigration, and healthcare. He wants to remove the government from the healthcare system, per his campaign website.

Whoever wins the special election will also face off in May in the primary for the full term of the seat in the 2026 election.

If no candidate receives a majority in Tuesday’s election, a runoff will be held April 7 to fill the remainder of Taylor Greene’s term through January.

If the winner wants to seek another full term, they will again be on the ballot in the May 19 statewide primary. If a runoff is required, it will be held on June 16.

The runoff winner will be on the ballot again in the November 3rd general election and a December 1st run-off if needed to determine a winner for a full congressional term.