Georgia’s special election to pick former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s successor will advance to a runoff after no candidate received the required majority of votes to win outright, CBS News projects.
Polls closed in theGeorgia 14th Congressional District special electionat 7 p.m., with the results showing that former
District AttorneyClay Fullerand retired Army Brig. Gen. Shawn Harris received the most votes. The Republican and Democrat, respectively, will face each other in the April 7 runoff.
Fuller finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won. He was appointed as the district attorney of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit in 2023 and winning a full term in 2024 before leaving the position to run for the seat. He was supported in the race by President Trump, who said that the former White House fellow had his “complete and total endorsement.”
Harris, a Cedartown farmer and Army veteran, lost the race to Greene in 2024. Of all the candidates in Tuesday’s race, he raised the most money, with about $4.3 million raised and about $290,000 in the bank as of Feb. 18. Fuller had the second-largest war chest, with about $238,000 in the bank and a total of about $787,000.
The seat has been vacant since January, whenGreene resignedfollowing a months-long public fight withMr. Trumpover foreign policy issues and the release of documents involving the Jeffrey Epstein case. A week before she announced her plans to resign, Mr. Trump said he would support a primary challenge against her.
Twenty-two candidatesfiled to run for the seat, but the number dropped to 17 candidates — 12 Republicans, three Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent — all of whom appeared on Tuesday’s ballot.
Greene declined to endorse anyone in the race.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reacted to the runoff news on X, writing, “Congratulations to Clay Fuller! When I appointed Clay as District Attorney, I was confident that he would be a fearless advocate for the rule of law in our state. As we head into the runoff election, Republicans must be united and send this proven, conservative fighter to Washington.”
A crowded field of candidates has made for a runoff in the Georgia special election. CBS News Atlanta
Whoever eventually wins the seat will serve out the rest of Greene’s term — a relatively short time in office.
With the runoff and primaries just around the corner, the stakes in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District couldn’t be higher.
While Republicans are determined to strengthen their grip on this solidly conservative seat, Democrats see an opportunity to capitalize on GOP divisions and a crowded field.
As both parties gear up for a pivotal November showdown, the outcome in this district could have outsized consequences for control of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans currently hold a slim majority
The Associated Press and CBS News contributed to this report.
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