Democrat stuns in MTG’s ruby purple district as Trump decide is dragged into runoff
A Democrat is topping the vote in the ruby red Georgia district once occupied by Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Democrat Shawn Harris has advanced to a runoff in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, where he’ll face Clayton Fuller, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace his nemesis, according to the Associated Press.
With more than half the votes tabulated, Harris is tracking ahead of Fuller.
Harris, a retired Brigadier General in the United States Army, ran on a platform of paying teachers better, passing a farm bill, and protecting veterans. He also touted a ‘tough but compassionate immigration policy,’ during his campaign.
Fuller is still expected to prevail in the runoff in the R+19 GOP stronghold, and the winner of the seat will likely be sworn in in April to serve the remainder of Greene’s term. They will then also have to run for the next term in this year’s midterm elections.
Jacob Rubashkin, Deputy Editor at Inside Elections, noted in a Tuesday night post on X that ‘Republicans will ultimately hold the seat.’
‘To give a sense of how Republican this district is: In the 2025 Public Service Commissioner races that Democrats won statewide by 26 percent, GA-14 was still R+13 percent,’ Rubashkin added.
Pete Buttigeig, a former Democratic presidential candidate who ended up serving as Transportation Secretary, endorsed Harris.
Shawn Harris, a Democratic candidate, poses for a portrait in his elections office on Election Day while running for Congressional district 14, on March 10, 2026 in Rome, Georgia
Congressional candidate Clay Fuller speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia, on Thursday, February 19, 2026
Former Republican Representative from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene (C) responds to questions from the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, on March 22nd, 2024
There was speculation from political forecasters ahead of Tuesday’s election that the top vote-getter would be a Democrat, given the vast GOP field fighting to replace Green.
The final field of 17 candidates included three Democrats, 12 Republicans, one Libertarian, and one independent. The top finisher prediction came true, sending a Democrat and a Republican to the runoff.
Harris notably also topped the primary field in fundraising, drawing in just under $4.3 million, and claimed in a recent interview that his team had’ figured out how to get Republicans to also vote for’ him.
The next best fundraisers were Republican contenders Brian Stover, who raised over $940 thousand, and Fuller, who brought in over $786 thousand.
At Trump’s rally in Rome, Georgia, last month, Fuller joined the president on stage, pledging to be a ‘MAGA warrior’ in Congress after being blessed with Trump’s ‘total and complete’ endorsement.
Days earlier, however, after the president issued his initial endorsement of Fuller, he made a snafu that implied his neutrality.
‘They say whoever I endorse is going to win. But we have a lot of good candidates that want to take her place,’ he said the following week.
The White House declined to clarify the president’s statement last month, instead pointing to Trump’s original endorsement of Fuller.
Greene had stayed neutral in the race.
Fuller has also been boosted by two conservative outside groups, Club for Growth, which endorsed him, and Conservatives for American Excellence, which has ‘spent hundreds of thousands of dollars’ to back his candidacy, per NBC News.
Tuesday night’s contest is the first of potentially five elections that will be held before the constituents in Georgia’s 14th district elect a representative for a full two-year term in a seat rated an R+19 GOP stronghold.
The next election in the district is a special election to be held on April 7 to fill the remainder of Taylor Greene’s term through January.
If the winner seeks 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, if needed, in a December 1st runoff to determine a winner for a full congressional term.
