Photo: Alamy
Republican candidate Clay Fuller won a special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, preserving the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House, according to reported results.
Fuller, who was backed by President Donald Trump, defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in Tuesday’s runoff to fill the vacant seat in the heavily Republican northwest Georgia district.
The victory provides a boost to House Speaker Mike Johnson as Republicans maintain a slim edge in the chamber. The GOP currently holds a narrow majority, making each seat critical for advancing its legislative agenda.
Fuller credited Trump’s support as a decisive factor in the race.
“He was the difference maker,” Fuller said after the election. “He was the key factor in us winning…. Our results prove that President Trump means a ton to Georgia-14.”
The Associated Press projected Fuller to win with 55.9 percent of the vote, calling the race after 8 p.m. Tuesday night. Harris received a projected 44.1 percent of the votes.
The seat became vacant after former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down earlier this year following a public dispute with Trump.
The district, which stretches from the outer suburbs of Atlanta to Georgia’s borders with Alabama and Tennessee, has been strongly Republican. President Trump carried the area by a wide margin in the 2024 presidential election.
Despite the outcome, Democrats pointed to improved performance compared with prior elections. Harris, a retired Army brigadier general and first-time candidate, reduced the margin compared with his previous loss to Greene.
Fuller, a district attorney and Air National Guard officer, now heads to a primary next month as he seeks to secure the Republican nomination for a full two-year term in November. Harris also indicated he plans to continue his campaign into the general election.
The race was closely watched as a test of voter enthusiasm ahead of the midterms, particularly in reliably Republican districts where Democrats have aimed to narrow margins.
