by Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

February 25, 2026

Voters are having their say in the race to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who stepped down from Congress in January after a public feud with President Donald Trump.

Early voting started last week, and the final day to cast a ballot is March 10. If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, a runoff is scheduled for April 7 – and that is seen as the likely scenario. After several candidates dropped out, 18 remain in the race to represent the conservative 14th Congressional District in northwest Georgia.

The Cook Political Report calls the 14th District the most Republican-leaning district in Georgia, and the GOP side of the race is hopping with a dozen candidates hoping to join Congress. Greene won re-election in 2024 with 64% of the vote even after the district was redrawn to include more likely Democratic voters. House Republicans are likely eager to welcome a new member to help boost their narrow majority.

Republican Clay Fuller, former district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, has Trump’s endorsement and received an on-stage boost during the president’s recent visit.

That carries weight for people like Shelley Wooten, a homemaker who cast her ballot for Fuller in Dallas, which is about an hour away from downtown Atlanta.

“He’s backed by Trump. He was Trump’s choice,” she said. “And I like the fact that he’s been very low key, but supportive of all of Trump’s policies on immigration, family, faith, duty, country. I think he’s going to be the one to work for us.”

Wooten said Trump’s endorsement helped her make her decision, but she selected Fuller because she thinks he’s the best positioned to help solve the district’s economic travails.

“We have people that are paying incredibly high electric bills,” she said. “We have people that can’t afford mortgages. We need help here. We have infrastructure that needs to be replaced. We just need help here in this community.”

Other Fuller voters like retiree Michael Wakefield of Polk County near the Alabama line said Trump’s endorsement didn’t play a role. Wakefield said he was impressed by Fuller’s military background and support for gun rights.

Wakefield said his top priority is immigration.

“We need to continue to work on our immigration,” he said. “You want to come to this country, do it the right way. More power to you, but don’t come here illegally. It would be just like me breaking into your house. You wouldn’t want me to break into your house, but they’re breaking into our country. And he stands for that.”

The other Republicans on the ticket are not clearing the field for Fuller, Trump endorsement or no.

Retiree Ted Beier of Paulding County said the presidential stamp of approval was not enough to sway him from voting for Republican former state Sen. Colton Moore.

Moore, a stalwart conservative who bucked party leadership while in the chamber, enjoys a measure of grassroots support in the district.

“I just liked the stuff that he stands for, and he was one of the biggest advertisers I think as well,” Beier said, referring to Moore’s political ads. “But I like his stand on things, and I think could be a good replacement for Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

The 14th District was drawn to favor a Republican, but Democrats are hoping that a special election in an anti-incumbent atmosphere can help them pull off an odds-defying flip.

Shawn Harris, a farmer and retired Army brigadier general, is considered the top dog on the Democratic side. As of the start of the year, Harris’ had raised more than $2.2 million for the race.

Salon owner Freeman Floyd voted for Harris in Polk County. Floyd said LGBTQ issues are his top priority, but the economy is also a huge deal for his neighbors and customers.

“People are not getting certain services, you know, waxing and facials and stuff,” he said. “They’ll still get their hair done, but you know some of the luxury services they’re having to skimp back on because their grocery bills are so high and their electric bills are going up and things like that. And the promises that the president made that he would change are not happening. And that’s the reason I’m hearing people that were voting Republican are thinking about changing.”

Therapist Beth Palumbo said she voted for Harris because she is worried that the country is backtracking on social issues.

“I voted for Shawn Harris because I think we need a change in this country, and we are falling backwards into racism, sexism, and all the -isms and I want to move us forward into the future,” she said.

Retired carpenter Manuel Hardman voted for Harris because of what he called “the corruption of the Republican Party.” He said he was referring to the files of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which were a major source of friction between Greene and Trump before she left Congress.

“What’s funny to me is how long it took Marjorie Taylor Greene to flip to being somewhat reasonable, even though she was terrible,” Hardman said.

“(Trump) said, ‘Oh, I’m all for transparency,’ but he was willing to go after Marjorie Taylor Greene because she was one of the first ones to buck him.”

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.