Twenty-two candidates — including a former district attorney, a state senator and a trash-hauling entrepreneur — filed to contest Georgia’s 14th Congressional District seat after Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress earlier this month. Qualifying closed Wednesday, drawing 17 Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent. The field will appear on a single all-party ballot on March 10, according to the Associated Press.
ATLANTA — Twenty-two candidates filed to contest Georgia’s 14th Congressional District seat after Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress earlier this month, with qualifying closing Wednesday. The field of 17 Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent will appear on a single all-party ballot on March 10, the Associated Press reported.
If no candidate wins a majority on March 10, the top two finishers advance to a runoff on April 7.
The race to fill one of Georgia’s most Republican-leaning congressional seats promises a lengthy electoral marathon: candidates who fall short in the special election may still face party primaries in May, runoffs in June and a general election in November.
The district
The 14th District stretches from Atlanta’s northwest suburbs through all or part of 10 counties to the Tennessee state line. The Cook Political Report rates it the most Republican-leaning district in Georgia, the AP reported. Voters there backed Greene’s hard-right positions starting in 2020, after she moved from a more competitive district closer to Atlanta.
Top Republican candidates
Clay Fuller of Trenton, who served as district attorney in four counties along the Tennessee state line until he filed to run, is among the leading Republicans in the race, the AP reported. Fuller finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won, then won appointment as district attorney in 2023 and a full term in 2024.
State Sen. Colton Moore of Trenton, an auctioneer who cultivated a right-wing following by allying himself with the Freedom Caucus as a legislator, is also running, the AP reported.
Nicky Lama, a Dalton City Council member first elected in 2023, described himself as a “next-generation conservative.” Brian Stover of Dallas, a former Paulding County commissioner who owns a trash-hauling company, is already buying television ads and may be able to self-finance his campaign.
Other Republicans in the field include Jim Tully, the former chairman of Republicans in the 14th District and a former field representative for Greene, and Trey Kelly, a former chairman of the Fulton County Republican Party.
Under Georgia law, Fuller, Lama and Moore were required to resign their seats before filing to run for another office, the AP reported.
Democratic and other candidates
Shawn Harris, a retired Army general and Cedartown farmer who was the 2024 Democratic nominee against Greene, is the leading Democratic candidate. Harris raised nearly $1.3 million between May and September of last year to prepare for a 2026 challenge against Greene, the AP reported.
Jim Davis of Floyd County, a political writer and retired business owner, and Jon Hobbs of Dallas, a patent representative, also filed as Democrats. Libertarian Andrew Underwood of Rome and independent Rob “Rush” Ruszkowski of Rising Fawn complete the field.
A crowded election calendar
The special election operates on a compressed and layered timeline. Qualifying for party primaries for the regular November election opens in the first week of March — meaning most candidates in the March 10 special election are likely to file for primaries before knowing their special-election outcomes, the AP reported.
Democrats and Republicans who advance could then face May 19 party primaries, possible June 16 runoffs and a November general election — a stretch of contests that could keep candidates on the ballot for most of the year.