Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation has set off Georgia’s special election for her congressional seat, with 22 candidates filing by the close of qualifying Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
The field includes 17 Republicans, three Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent. Candidates will appear on the same all-party ballot on March 10, and if no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff scheduled four weeks later on April 7.
Greene resigned from Congress earlier this month, AP reported. The AP’s roundup of the race also described the district as one that spans from Atlanta’s northwest suburbs through all or part of 10 counties to the Tennessee state line.
The Cook Political Report rates the district as Georgia’s most Republican-leaning, AP said. In 2020, voters in the district embraced Greene’s hard-right positions when she won the Republican primary after entering a district that had been more closely contested earlier in her campaign.
What’s the district like?
AP said the seat stretches across multiple counties between the Atlanta suburbs and the Tennessee line. It described the district’s political profile as having favored Greene when she won the 2020 Republican primary, after voters in the area backed her political stance.
Republicans in the March race
AP listed several Republicans seeking the seat. Clay Fuller of Trenton, a district attorney in four counties along the Tennessee state line before filing, finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won. AP also reported Fuller was appointed as district attorney in 2023 and won a full term in 2024.
Colton Moore of Trenton, also described by AP as an auctioneer, previously served as a state representative and then a state senator. AP said Moore allied himself with the Freedom Caucus while in the state Legislature and built a right-wing following as an elected official.
AP also reported that Nicky Lama, a Dalton City Council member first elected in 2023, promised to be a “next-generation conservative.” Under Georgia law, AP said Fuller, Lama and Moore were required to resign their seats to run for another office.
In addition, AP said Brian Stover of Dallas was already buying television ads. AP described Stover as a former Paulding County commissioner who owns a trash-hauling company, and said he may be able to self-finance a run.
AP also noted other longtime party activists, including Jim Tully—former chairman of Republicans in the 14th District and a former field representative for Greene—and Trey Kelly, an insurance and financial consultant and former chairman of the Fulton County Republican Party.
The AP list of other Republican candidates included Beau Brown, Christian Hurd, Eric Cunningham, James Marty Brown, Jared Craig, Jennifer Jaye Turnipseed, Larry Hilley, Megahn Strickland, Reagan Box, Star Black, and Tom Gray.
Non-Republicans in the field
AP said the Democratic nominee who lost to Greene in 2024, Shawn Harris, is seeking the seat again. AP described Harris as a retired Army general and Cedartown farmer, and said he raised almost $1.3 million from May through September last year to prepare for a 2026 challenge against Greene.
AP also reported that the other Democratic candidates include Jim Davis of Floyd County and Jon Hobbs of Dallas. Because the special election is not limited to Democrats, AP said voters will also be able to choose from Libertarian Andrew Underwood of Rome and independent Rob “Rush” Ruszkowski of Rising Fawn.
How the special election fits with other 2026 races
AP said the overall contest for the seat could become a lengthy series of campaigns because the regular election is in November. AP noted that candidates might need to run in multiple elections by the end of the year, including the March 10 special-election round and a potential April 7 runoff. AP added that qualifying for party primaries for the regular election is in the first week of March, meaning some candidates may have to re-run in party contests before knowing the outcomes of the special-election race.