ROME, Ga. (AP) 鈥� Democrat Shawn Harris and Republican Clay Fuller advanced to a runoff for Marjorie Taylor Greene鈥檚 former U.S. House seat in Georgia after no candidate won a majority in Tuesday鈥檚 special election.
President Donald Trump in February endorsed Fuller, a district attorney who prosecutes crimes in four counties, to succeed Greene in Georgia鈥檚 14th Congressional District. Greene, once among Trump’s most ardent supporters, after a falling out with the president.
Trump’s endorsement didn’t boost Fuller to a majority of the vote in a that included nine Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent. But Fuller said he was confident he could bring Republicans together to beat Harris on April 7.
鈥淚 think the Republican Party is going to unite around us because they know that the Democrat is too dangerous,鈥� he said Tuesday night. 鈥淲e can’t have a Democrat representing Georgia 14. That would be a tragedy for our community, a tragedy for Georgia 14 and a tragedy for the MAGA movement.鈥�
Trump congratulated Fuller for 鈥済etting such a high percentage of the vote鈥� with so many other Republicans in the race.
鈥淐lay will be a GREAT Congressman 鈥� HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!鈥� the president wrote on social media.
Harris, a cattle farmer and retired brigadier general, will face an uphill battle to win a majority in the heavily Republican district. Nevertheless, he was leading in the hours after the polls closed and Democrats are likely to boast of his success as they have focused on strong performances in special elections.
Harris has contrasted himself with Greene鈥檚 bomb-throwing style, saying practical-minded Republicans should vote for him because he will work for constituents 鈥渘ot for somebody else who’s already in D.C.鈥�
鈥淭he way I鈥檓 going to go to Congress is that it鈥檚 going to be a coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans,鈥� Harris said Tuesday night.
The winner will serve out the remaining months of Greene鈥檚 term. A Republican win in the northwest Georgia district would bolster the party鈥檚 slim majority in the House, where Republicans currently control 218 seats to Democrats鈥� 214.
Fuller was a White House fellow in the first Trump administration and is a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard. He finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won. He credited Trump’s nod for propelling him to the runoff.
鈥淭hey want to know who President Trump was endorsing in this race,鈥� Fuller said. 鈥淎nd that’s why they came out in droves to support him, because they want an America First fighter on Capitol Hill fighting for his policies that are going to make a difference for our community.鈥�
Harris said he鈥檚 not worried about further Trump intervention.
鈥淚f Donald Trump wants to come and do what he wants to do, that鈥檚 his business,” he said.
This round of voting is only the first step in an elections marathon in the Georgia district. Republicans and Democrats seeking a full two-year term are set for a May 19 party primary, and possibly a June 16 party runoff, before advancing to the general election in November.
Last week, 10 Republicans and Harris qualified to run in November for a full two-year term. That includes Fuller, as well as Colton Moore, a former state senator and favorite of far-right activists who was poised to finish third on Tuesday, short of the runoff.
Those who backed Democrats said they were repelled by Trump and eager to reduce his power.
鈥淭here just needs to be checks and balances and I don’t think we have many of those right now,” said Matthew Wisniewski, a Dallas resident who voted for Harris.
Greene was one of the most well-known members of Congress until she left in January. She remained loyal to Trump after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, promoting Trump鈥檚 falsehoods about a stolen election. When Trump ran again in 2024, she toured the country with him and spoke at his rallies while wearing a red 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� hat.
But Greene last year after he and other Republicans pushed back against her running for or . Greene criticized Trump鈥檚 foreign policy and his reluctance to release documents involving the Jeffrey Epstein case. The president eventually had enough, saying he would support a primary challenge against her. Greene announced a week later that she would resign.
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This story has been updated to remove quotes from Presley Stover. An earlier version of this story stated that Presley Stover voted for Clay Fuller. She voted for Brian Stover, according to Stover鈥檚 campaign.
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Associated Press journalist Emilie Megnien contributed to this report.
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