In January, Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down from her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the Georgia's 14th congressional district, and the race is on to replace her with a special election set for March 10.
With 17 candidates in the running to serve out the rest of Greene's term, it is unlikely any one candidate will receive the 50% of the vote needed to win the race, so a runoff election will likely be triggered for April 7.
This number includes 12 Republicans, three Democrats, one Independent and one Libertarian. Even though the winning candidate will only definitively serve until the end of Greene's term in January 2027, the winner will have the chance to make a big impact.
With 214 Democrats and 218 Republicans, a Democrat win could tip the scales in the House, giving Democrats an edge. However, The Cook Political Report rated the district Solid Republican in November.
Early voting to decide the fate of the district started in mid-February, with President Donald Trump endorsing a candidate mere days prior. During a visit to Rome, Georgia, located squarely inside the 14th district, Trump endorsed Republican Clayton Fuller, the former district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit in northwest Georgia and Air Force veteran.
Republican Trey Kelley dopped out of the race soon after, citing Trump's wishes as the reason. Kelley made the announcement in a Facebook post Feb. 23.
Early voting is set to end Friday.
Former state Sen. Colton Moore is one of those 12 Republican candidates, and he continues to run on a platform of "God. Guns. Trump," despite the president's endorsement of another candidate. He was arrested earlier this year when he tried to enter the House for the Governor's State of the State address despite being banned after making comments denouncing House Speaker David Ralston, who died in 2022, the day he was being honored.
Brian Stover, a business owner, and Nicky Lama, a former Dalton City Council member, are also running on platforms of Trump loyalty, albeit with a less aggressive approach.
Small business owner Megahn Strickland is taking a different approach by distancing herself from Trump, choosing to run a campaign based on bringing back stability to the district.
As for the Democrats running for the historically Republican-held seat, the Democratic Party of Georgia endorsed farmer and veteran Shawn Harris.
Harris earned about 35% of the vote in the 2024 election for the seat in which he faced off against Greene.
Jim Davis is running a campaign centered on raising the minimum wage, with Jonathon Hobbs prioritizing affordability.
