The run-off election in northwest Georgia to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump ally-turned-critic who left her seat in Congress in January, has been called.
VoteHub projected that Republican Clay Fuller has defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in the run-off election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.
It’s important to remember that turnout is usually low in special elections, especially special runoff elections. This means that voter enthusiasm can have a bigger impact on the outcome than in bigger elections.
The general primary for the full term is on May 19, so these candidates may not be done fighting each other yet. Last month, Fuller and Harris both made it onto the ballot, along with many of the people they ran against in the special election in March.
President Donald Trump endorsed Fuller, a former prosecutor and Air Force veteran, and his victory tonight will provide Speaker Mike Johnson with more flexibility in his small House Republican majority.
Fuller has repeatedly said he would be “a warrior for President Trump on Capitol Hill,” but other Republican candidates have also promised to support the president’s plans fully.
“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.”
The 14th Congressional District is massive, covering 10 counties from the Atlanta suburbs to the Appalachian foothills along the Tennessee state line.
Despite being Trump’s stronghold, the 14th Congressional District is home to a significant number of Democrats and independents, which could potentially unsettle Republicans in a special election.
Earlier this year, President Trump criticized Greene during a rally, days before she left Congress in early January.
Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. During his speech, Trump referred to Greene as a “stone-cold liberal” and “highly neurotic,” Mediaite reported.
Trump suggested their relationship deteriorated because he did not return her phone calls frequently enough.
Greene recently announced she would resign from Congress following months of tension with Republican leadership. She has publicly criticized members of her own party on issues including affordability, healthcare, and the handling of the Epstein files.
Greene said she decided to leave Congress to avoid what she described as a “hateful primary” backed by Trump.
Trump mocked Greene by referring to her as “Marjorie Traitor Brown.” He said he chose the nickname because, in his words, “green turns to brown under stress.”
“What the hell happened to her?” Trump said during the rally. He claimed Greene appears frequently on CNN and suggested that marked a shift in her political alignment.
Trump said the demands of the presidency made it impossible to speak with every member of Congress regularly.
Trump told the crowd he is responsible for managing relationships with hundreds of lawmakers, dozens of senators, and foreign leaders, in addition to his family.
“You can’t call a president every single day,” Trump said. He said Greene complained publicly after he stopped returning her calls.
Trump again described Greene as “highly neurotic” later in his remarks. He dismissed suggestions that Greene was “brave” for resigning from Congress. Trump said he would have endorsed a primary challenger who would have defeated Greene.
“No, brave would be to stay,” Trump said. Greene has not publicly responded to Trump’s remarks.