Voters in northwest Georgia will return to the polls next month after no candidate secured a majority in the special election to fill the congressional seat once held by Marjorie Taylor Greene.
According to the New York Post, with more than a dozen candidates on the ballot, the race for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District failed to produce an outright winner Tuesday, sending the top two finishers to a runoff scheduled for April 7.
Democrat Shawn Harris emerged as the leading vote-getter in the nonpartisan “jungle-style” election. Harris, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan as a combat infantry commander, captured roughly 37% of the vote.
He will now face Republican Clay Fuller, who finished close behind with about 35%.
Speaking after advancing to the runoff, Harris framed the results as a step forward for voters in the district.
“This is not about me,” Harris said after advancing. “This is about all the people here in northwest Georgia. This is a win for them, because, finally, northwest Georgia is saying, let’s give the leader in Congress.”
He also made clear he was ready for the next stage of 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.”
Campaign finance reports showed Harris had raised more money than any other candidate in the race. As of Feb. 18, he had brought in roughly $4.3 million and still had about $290,000 on hand.
Fuller, an Air National Guard officer and district attorney who received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, led the Republican field in the first round.
The GOP vote was divided among several candidates, allowing Harris to finish first overall.
Before election day, Fuller said he intended to focus on his own message rather than attacking fellow Republicans.
“I’m proud to have kept my word to run on my record and vision for how I want to represent this district,” Fuller wrote on X.
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 raised about $787,000 during the campaign and had approximately $238,000 remaining in his campaign account.
The race attracted an unusually large group of candidates, with more than 20 Democrats, Republicans, and third-party hopefuls initially filing to run. Several candidates later dropped out, leaving 17 still actively competing by election day.
Among the Republican contenders who did not advance was state Sen. Colton Moore, a conservative lawmaker known for his combative style.
Moore finished with 11.6% of the vote, the second-highest share among Republicans but not enough to reach the runoff.
The district has historically leaned heavily Republican.
In the 2024 presidential election, President Donald Trump carried the area by a wide margin, defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris 68% to 31%.
Georgia’s 14th Congressional District stretches across 10 counties in the northwest corner of the state and borders both Alabama and Tennessee. Paulding County is the district’s most populous area, followed by part of Cobb County.
The special election was called after Greene left Congress earlier this year.
Greene, who had represented the district since 2021, stepped down on Jan. 5 following a public dispute with Trump. Her departure came after Trump withdrew his “support and endorsement” of the congresswoman amid disagreements over several policy issues.
Greene did not endorse a candidate in the race to replace her.
The winner of the April 7 runoff will fill the remainder of the term and represent the district in Washington.
