Georgia race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene heads to a runoff

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Kayla EpsteinRome, Georgia

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Watch: Clay Fuller and Shawn Harris speak about projected Georgia election runoff

The special election to replace former Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is projected to head to a runoff after none of the candidates secured a majority of the votes on Tuesday night.

Republican Clay Fuller, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is projected to face Democrat Shawn Harris to represent Georgia’s 14th congressional district, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS.

The two candidates beat out a crowded field of 17 candidates for the runoff slots.

Trump gave Fuller his “complete and total endorsement” in a Truth Social post and while holding a rally in Rome, Georgia, last month.

Tuesday’s election served as an early test of Trump’s power to shape the upcoming midterm elections in November.

“For those of you who questioned how important Donald J Trump is to this country, to Georgia 14, and the state of Georgia, you see what this man means to this community, what he means to the people in this country, and what he means to the MAGA movement,” Fuller, a former district attorney, said on Tuesday night.

The runoff election will be held 7 April.

Whoever wins the seat will serve out the rest of Greene’s term, which ends in January, but they must begin campaigning again immediately to win their own full term in Congress next year.

Harris, the Democrat, received the most votes on Tuesday night, likely due to the fact that the Republican base splintered among many candidates.

In the runoff, Harris will face only Fuller, who will see Georgia’s Republicans coalesce behind him.

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Former district attorney Clay Fuller, a Republican, and retired Army Brig Gen Shawn Harris, a Democrat, will face off in the 7 April runoff

Harris told the BBC his campaign would continue to “stay true to what we’ve been doing” ahead of the runoff.

“Everybody who voted for any other candidate […] I want to talk to every last one of them, and say: ‘Give me a chance’”, he said.

Greene’s larger-than-life political persona loomed over voters as they chose her replacement. In her nearly six years in Congress, Greene developed a reputation for bombastic committee appearances, embracing conspiracy theories, and supporting hardline immigration policies.

She was one of Trump’s most prominent backers until their relationship combusted over the Epstein files; Greene pushed for legislation that would demand the government release its trove of documents, despite Trump’s opposition. Congress eventually passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and Trump signed it into law, after sustained political pressure. But their relationship never healed.

Since leaving office in January, she has used her X account to criticise Trump for the US and Israel’s military operation against Iran.

Watch: What do Georgians want from Marjorie Taylor Greene’s replacement?

Voters went to the polls on Tuesday mindful of the feud. They had the dizzying task of choosing from 17 candidates, both Democrat and Republican.

Some Republicans used Trump’s endorsement to guide their own vote, wanting a more reliable fighter for the president they support.

Marsha Miles “would have voted for Fuller anyway”, she told the BBC outside a polling place in Rome, but Trump’s endorsement signalled he was the right choice.

But she also chose Fuller because “of his morals, what he stands for, and his military service”.

Fuller ran on a platformed that echoed Trump’s priorities of mass deportation, increased domestic manufacturing, and a tough-on-crime stance.

“He’s the perfect choice for representation in this area,” said Teresa Lumsden, who attended his election night party.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the district hoped to flip the seat after six years of Greene’s representation by electing Harris, a retired brigadier general and local farmer.

Sheila Hutchings, a Democrat, voted for Harris because she wanted “a more positive” personality who would “speak kindly” to all constituents regardless of party.

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