Trump-Backed Clay Fuller, Democrat Shawn Harris Advance To Runoff In Georgia

No candidate won a majority in Tuesday’s special election.

ROME, Ga. (AP) — Democrat Shawn Harris and Republican Clay Fuller advanced to an April 7 runoff for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former U.S. House seat in Georgia after no candidate won a majority in Tuesday’s special election.

President Donald Trump in February endorsed Fuller, a district attorney who prosecutes crimes in four counties, to succeed Greene.

Fuller has called Trump’s endorsement “rocket fuel” for his candidacy, but it did not boost him to a majority of the vote in a 14-candidate field that included nine Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent. All the candidates ran together regardless of party, with the top two moving on to the runoff.

Harris, a cattle farmer and retired brigadier general, is likely to face an uphill battle to win a majority in the heavily Republican district. Nevertheless, Democrats are likely to boast of his first-round showing as a further success in a period when they have focused on strong performances in special elections. Harris has promised moderation and a focus on the district’s problems, contrasting himself with Greene’s bomb-throwing style.

The winner will serve out the remaining months of Greene’s term. A Republican win in northwest Georgia’s 14th Congressional district would bolster the party’s majority in the House. The district stretches from suburban Atlanta to the Tennessee state line.