Special Election To Replace MTG Sets Up Big Fight In Congress

Voters in northwest Georgia headed to the polls Tuesday in a closely watched special election to fill the congressional seat once held by Marjorie Taylor Greene, setting up another test of the influence of Donald J. Trump within the Republican Party.

Greene, once a strong ally of President Trump, vacated the seat earlier this year after a public break with the president. Her departure triggered a crowded race featuring nearly 20 candidates seeking to represent Georgia’s conservative Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

President Trump stepped into the race last month, endorsing Clay Fuller after visiting the district. The endorsement was intended to help consolidate support and potentially prevent a drawn-out runoff battle that could complicate the Republican majority in the House.

However, the field has remained crowded despite the president’s backing.

Trump’s involvement reflects the high stakes for Republicans in Washington, where Mike Johnson is managing a razor-thin GOP majority. Quickly filling the seat with a dependable Republican would give House leadership additional breathing room during a contentious legislative period.

Fuller has leaned heavily into the president’s endorsement, repeatedly pledging loyalty to Trump’s agenda if elected.

“We have to support President Trump,” Fuller said. “He’s the greatest foreign policy president in our time. I’ll fight for him, and that’s why he endorsed me in this race.”

But several of Fuller’s Republican rivals have also positioned themselves as loyal supporters of the president, creating a contest where multiple candidates are competing to claim the mantle of the MAGA movement.

One of those candidates, Jim Moore, argued that Republicans need a lawmaker willing to aggressively fight for conservative priorities.

“There’s a lot of folks who talk a big conservative game, but when it comes down to doing conservative stuff, they’re nowhere to be found,” Moore said Monday in an interview on a conservative talk radio show on WLAQ, a station in the district based in Rome, Georgia. “We need to find a fighter, a legislator, who’s willing to bring that fight with true vigor.”

Another Republican candidate, pastor Tom Gray, also expressed support for the president while emphasizing independence among conservative lawmakers.

“We’re independent thinkers and decision-makers,” Gray said.

The race is unfolding across the sprawling 14th District, which stretches from the northern suburbs of Atlanta to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains along the Tennessee border. The district covers 10 counties and has long been considered a Republican stronghold.

Still, Democrats see an opportunity to force a runoff.

The Democratic nominee, Shawn Harris, is viewed by Republican strategists as the most competitive challenger. Harris previously ran against Greene in 2024 and received nearly 135,000 votes.

In a crowded field, even a modest share of those voters could be enough to propel Harris into the top two in Tuesday’s election.

Under Georgia law, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the two candidates with the most votes—regardless of party—will advance to a runoff scheduled for April 7.

Republican leaders privately expect Harris to make the runoff, setting up another intense round of campaigning.

Complicating matters further, the winner of the special election will soon have to campaign again. Candidates must run once more for the seat later this year, beginning with a primary scheduled for May 19, creating an unusually fast and chaotic election calendar.

The race also comes amid lingering tensions between Trump and Greene, who has continued to criticize the president in recent weeks, including over his decision to launch military strikes against Iran.

Greene has largely stayed out of the contest to replace her but has not stopped publicly sparring with the president.

Meanwhile, Moore has pledged to join the House Freedom Caucus if elected and promised to fight what he calls “bad legislation.”

That prospect reportedly worries some GOP leaders on Capitol Hill, who are seeking a dependable vote rather than another lawmaker likely to challenge leadership.

In the short two-month campaign, Fuller has sought to reassure both grassroots voters and party leaders that he would remain firmly aligned with the president.

“I’ll fight for him,” Fuller said of Trump. “And that’s why he endorsed me in this race.”

Polls in the special election closed at 7 p.m. ET.