Georgia runoff to decide who replaces Marjorie Taylor Greene after her spat with Trump

Washington — Voters in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District will decide Tuesday whether Republican Clay Fuller or Democrat Shawn Harris will replace former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. She resigned from Congress three months ago after a bitter falling out with President Trump, whom she has accused of forsaking his MAGA base on issues like affordability and foreign affairs.

The result will have an effect on the balance of power in the House, where Republicans (and one independent who caucuses with the party) hold 218 seats and Democrats have 214. 

Harris performed slightly better than Fuller in a special election on March 10, but neither secured a majority of the vote in a crowded field of candidates, forcing a runoff election.

Harris’ ability to attract more votes than Fuller, who had Mr. Trump’s endorsement, was attributed to the number of GOP candidates in the race and is not viewed as an indication that Democrats could pull off a major upset in the conservative district that Greene has consistently won by wide margins. 

Greene was first elected to Congress in 2020, winning by nearly 50 points against her Democratic opponent. She won her two subsequent reelection campaigns by about 30 points.

But in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Harris projected confidence that turnout will defy expectations in the deeply Republican district, adding that he is “confident that tonight, this district will flip.” 

“If we wasn’t a threat of winning, then why is the Republican Party at the highest level spending so much money on a ruby red district where you shouldn’t have to be worried about it?” Harris said. 

Tuesday’s margin is likely to be viewed as one of the first tests of how voters view Mr. Trump’s handling of the Iran war and the economic ramifications. 

Fuller, a district attorney and Air National Guard veteran, has supported Mr. Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, describing the Iranian regime as “a death cult that could not be negotiated with.”

“Our country is safer because of what President Trump has done regarding Iran,” he said in a debate against Harris last month. 

At the debate, Harris, a farmer and retired Army general, called it a “war of choice” and said Mr. Trump’s focus should be on “how do we get this economy back together.” 

Greene, who has not endorsed a candidate in the race, has accused Mr. Trump of betraying his “America First” promises by leading the U.S. into another foreign conflict. On Sunday, she said in a post on X that the president “has gone insane” after he threatened to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges if the regime did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

“This is not making America great again, this is evil,” she said. 

Greene left Congress in January as the rift between her and Mr. Trump grew wider. The president labeled her a “traitor” and a “lunatic” for breaking with Republican leaders to demand the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She also criticized Mr. Trump’s focus on foreign conflicts while Americans are saddled with the high cost of living and rising health care costs. 

Greene announced her departure a week after Mr. Trump said he would back a primary challenger against her. 

Fuller and Harris could face off again later this year in the general election in November, which will determine who holds the seat from January 2027 through January 2029. Before then, they’ll have to get through the May 19 midterm primaries.