Georgia’s 14th Congressional District has been without representation in Washington since January, and the race to fill that void just took its most dramatic turn yet. The burning political question — who replaces Marjorie Taylor Greene — moved one step closer to an answer on March 10, 2026, when voters across northwest Georgia headed to the polls for a crowded special election. When the votes were tallied, no candidate had crossed the 50% threshold, sending the race to a runoff on April 7 between Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris.
It is one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country right now, and the outcome will have real consequences far beyond the mountains of northwest Georgia.
Follow every development in the April 7 runoff — bookmark this page and check back for the latest updates as Election Day approaches.
Why the Seat Is Empty
Marjorie Taylor Greene spent five years as one of the loudest and most controversial voices in the United States House of Representatives. She built a national profile as an unwavering ally of President Donald Trump, and her northwest Georgia district rewarded her with comfortable reelection margins cycle after cycle. That partnership began to fracture in late 2025.
Greene grew increasingly outspoken against Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a topic that had stirred strong feelings among a segment of the MAGA base. She also broke with her party over the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, a position that put her at odds with Republican leadership. Trump responded sharply, calling her a traitor and signaling he would back a primary challenge against her.
Rather than endure a contentious intraparty fight in the district she had represented since 2021, Greene announced her resignation on November 21, 2025, effective January 5, 2026. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp responded by calling a special election for March 10, with an April 7 runoff date set in anticipation that no candidate would win outright in what was shaping up to be an unusually crowded field.
A Jungle Primary With 17 Candidates
Seventeen candidates ultimately qualified for the ballot — nine Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian, and an independent. Under Georgia law, all candidates appeared on the same ballot together, with the top two vote-getters advancing to a runoff if no one cleared 50%. Political observers across the spectrum expected a runoff from the start. What few predicted was just how competitive the top of the board would look by the end of the night.
Clay Fuller and Shawn Harris emerged as the two finalists, but not without drama. Fuller, who carried the full weight of a Trump endorsement behind him, still could not consolidate the Republican vote in a field with too many credible alternatives. The split among nine GOP candidates created just enough of an opening for Harris to land a top-two finish and punch his ticket to April.
Clay Fuller: Trump’s Pick for the Seat
Clay Fuller is a district attorney who serves Georgia’s Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, covering four counties in the northwest corner of the state. He is also a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard, a former White House fellow during Trump’s first term, and an Emory University graduate who went on to earn advanced degrees from Cornell and Southern Methodist University.
Trump endorsed Fuller in early February via a post on Truth Social, offering him his “Complete and Total” endorsement. The president then traveled to Rome, Georgia, in mid-February to hold a rally on Fuller’s behalf at a local steel manufacturing facility, where Fuller embraced the label of “MAGA warrior” before a raucous crowd. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who appointed Fuller as district attorney, also called on Republicans to unite behind him after Tuesday’s results, calling Fuller a “fearless advocate for the rule of law.”
Despite the presidential firepower, Fuller finished second in overall vote share on March 10, trailing Harris in total votes cast. He remained upbeat, telling supporters that Republican unity heading into the runoff gives him every reason for confidence. The district voted for Trump by 68 percentage points in 2024, a structural advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome in a one-on-one matchup.
Shawn Harris: The Democrat Who Won’t Go Away
Shawn Harris is not a newcomer to this district or to the challenge of running against long odds. He ran against Greene in the 2024 general election and lost by nearly 30 points. Rather than walk away, he announced another run in mid-2025, framing the special election as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for northwest Georgia voters to choose a different kind of representative.
Harris is a retired United States Army brigadier general and a cattle farmer who lives in the district. He has pitched himself as a practical, results-oriented figure who can appeal to voters across party lines — Democrats, independents, and Republicans who want someone focused on local issues rather than national headlines.
His fundraising has reflected that pitch. He raised more than four million dollars since entering the race last year, a sum that dwarfed every other candidate in the field. That financial strength allowed him to build a ground operation and run a sustained advertising campaign in a district where Democrats rarely invest serious resources.
Harris finished first in overall vote share on March 10. That result sent a clear message that his support runs deeper than his 2024 numbers suggested.
What Is at Stake for Congress
Republicans currently hold 218 seats in the House of Representatives to Democrats’ 214. Every seat matters. A Fuller win in April would add to that margin and give Trump another reliable vote on Capitol Hill as his administration pushes forward on its legislative agenda. A Harris victory would trim the Republican majority even further and send shockwaves through Washington just as the 2026 midterm cycle begins to heat up.
The race does not end with the special election. Candidates seeking a full two-year term will compete in a May 19 party primary, with a possible June runoff, before a general election in November. Whoever wins on April 7 will serve only the remainder of Greene’s term through January 2027, but the political and symbolic weight of the outcome extends much further.
The Road to April 7
With only one Republican and one Democrat remaining, the dynamics shift entirely. Fuller now has every incentive to consolidate the GOP vote, and Kemp’s public endorsement call suggests the Republican establishment intends to close ranks quickly. Harris, meanwhile, will need to perform well with independents and attract at least some disaffected Republicans to close the enormous partisan gap the district has produced in recent cycles.
Northwest Georgia is watching. So is the rest of the country.
Which candidate do you think will win the April 7 runoff, and what does the result mean for the direction of the Republican Party? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
