Clay Fuller, a Republican favored by Trump, wins the election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene
Republican Clay Fuller is expected to win Georgia’s runoff election to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a once-close supporter of Donald Trump who resigned earlier this year after disagreeing with the president.
CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, reports that Fuller won the election to succeed her on Tuesday. He is a Trump-endorsed candidate who defeated Democrat Shawn Harris, keeping the very conservative district in Republican hands.
The victory strengthens the party’s slim 217-214 majority in the House of Representatives.
Fuller, a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard, will fill the remainder of Greene’s tenure, which expires in January.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday night, he stated that Trump’s backing was “the key factor in us winning.”
“He was the difference-maker,” Fuller stated. “He made all the difference in the world.”
On March 10, a special election was held, and Harris narrowly defeated Fuller, thanks in part to a large Republican field that split the vote. That night, no single candidate gained a majority, necessitating Tuesday’s runoff election.
To keep his place in Congress beyond next January, Fuller must immediately begin campaigning again, this time for the midterm elections in November. It is probable that he will confront Harris again.
Harris announced on social media that he intends to run. He stated, “This election wasn’t the result we wanted, but the message is clear—people here are ready for leadership that puts them first.” “The fight continues.” On to November!”
Fuller, a White House fellow during Trump’s first term, is closely aligned with the president’s policies, notably those aimed at reducing illegal immigration and implementing mass deportations.
Thanks to Trump’s endorsement, he rose to the top of a crowded Republican primary field. Washington observed the race from a distance, looking for indications of Trump’s influence among his supporters in the lead-up to the 2018 elections.
According to Andra Gillespie, Donald Trump backed Fuller with the understanding that a strongly MAGA-aligned candidate could turn off moderate voters, and the endorsement was meant to appeal to that middle ground rather than push them away.
On Monday night, the president reiterated his support for Fuller on social media, writing, “I am asking all Republicans, America First Patriots, and MAGA Warriors to please GET OUT AND VOTE for a fantastic candidate, Clay Fuller, who has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”
Harris had relied on the unpredictable nature of the run-off, which takes place outside of a traditional election cycle when voter turnout may be low, in the hopes of attracting enough Democratic and Independent votes to secure a surprise victory.
The Democratic Party had targeted the seat as a possible pickup, and former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg conducted a town hall with Harris in March.
“Everybody who voted for any other candidate […] I want to talk to every last one of them and say, ‘Give me a chance,'” Harris told the BBC after advancing to the runoff.
However, according to Andra Gillespie, a political science professor at Emory University, Harris’s victory in this election depended on a number of factors, including the need for Harris to win and Fuller to lose.
Georgia’s 14th congressional district covers the northwest half of the state, from the northwest Atlanta suburbs to the Tennessee border. The mostly rural district is dominated by Republicans, but there are pockets of Democratic supporters in Atlanta and around Rome.
Trump had constantly weighed in on the campaign, hoping to keep it in Republican hands. The GOP holds a slim majority in the House of Representatives, so even a few Republican defections may block a vote.