Democrat Shawn Harris to face Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller in runoff to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, CNN projects

By Kathryn Squyres, Arit John, CNN

(CNN) — Republican Clay Fuller will face Democrat Shawn Harris in a runoff to replace former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, CNN projects.

The race to succeed Greene, a former ally turned critic of President Donald Trump, has tested the power of the president’s endorsement – and his influence over the party – at a time when some Republicans have been willing to split with their party’s leader.

Fuller, who resigned his role as a district attorney to run in the special, surged to the front of a crowded Republican field after snagging an endorsement from Trump in February. But the president’s support failed to narrow the field of a dozen GOP hopefuls enough to allow his chosen candidate to win the seat outright.

Despite facing a runoff, Fuller described Tuesday’s results as an “absolute win” and expressed confidence the party would rally behind him.

“We know that the endorsement from President Trump made a difference in this race, and we’re going to go and win it,” he told reporters at a watch party. “It’s time that the Republican vote unites and gets a representative to Capitol Hill as soon as possible.”

Harris, who narrowly led Fuller on Tuesday night, said the results showed that a Democrat could win in the heavily Republican district.

“Yes, it’s ruby red,” Harris said. “It won’t turn blue, but it’ll definitely turn pink.”

Several Republican candidates in the race downplayed the importance of the president’s endorsement ahead of the election, even as they pitched themselves as potential allies in Washington.

“We’ve never talked about this being President Trump’s district,” Jim Tully, a former Greene staffer running in the race, told CNN. “This district belongs to the people.”

The winner of the April 7 runoff will serve the remainder of Greene’s term ending in January.

Greene resigned from Congress earlier this year after falling out with the president over her ramped-up criticism of his second term in office. The Georgia Republican argued Trump was too focused on foreign policy issues instead of addressing cost of living concerns. She was one of four Republicans who bucked the president and signed a discharge petition calling for the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In Fuller, Republicans would regain a Trump ally and grow the party’s narrow majority in the US House.

Trump won the district by 37 percentage points in 2024, so Fuller will be heavily favored in the runoff. But this outcome means the seat will be unfilled for another month as Republicans try to navigate a historically narrow House majority.

Fuller’s tenure as an elected district attorney meant he entered the race with some popularity, especially in the district’s northern region near Tennessee.

Fuller also benefited from over $1.8 million in ads supporting him, according to AdImpact, including support from two outside groups. Pro-Fuller ad spending was more than double what was spent in support of his closest Republican rival.

Harris, a retired US Army brigadier general, challenged Greene in 2024. While he lost to her by nearly 30 points then, he’s called the special election a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to flip the seat.

As the most established of the three Democrats on the ballot, Harris was able to capture the lion’s share of the Democratic vote.

While he’s focused his campaign on an affordability message, he’s also casting himself as an outsider to politics.

Harris raised over $4 million since mid-2025 when he announced he would be running again, more than four times as much as his nearest Republican competitor.

This story has been updated with additional details.

The-CNN-Wire
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