ROME, Ga. – The race to become northwest Georgia’s next congressman is heading to an April runoff after no candidate exceeded 50% of the vote in a crowded field of competitors.
As of 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Democrat Shawn Harris was the top vote-getter, with about 37% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
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“We’re going to stay laser focused on kitchen table issues, because right now, gas prices are out the roof. Costs are crazy. You can’t buy milk in Publix. You can’t even pay your bills,” Harris said to supporters Tuesday night.
“As long as we stay focused on that, guess what? Democrats, independents and yes, Republicans, are going to continue to vote for me,” he said.
Republican Clay Fuller, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, came in second place with about 35% of the vote.
“For those of you that were questioning how important President Donald J. Trump is to this country, to Georgia 14th and the state of Georgia, you look at that screen behind me and you see what this man means to the people here in this community, what he means to the people in this country, what he means to the MAGA movement,” Fuller said at this election night watch party.
Fuller added that Trump had “entrusted our campaign to carry forward the MAGA movement into the next decade.”
The winner will replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who stepped down in early January after a public feud with Trump.
The runoff is scheduled for April 7. The winner will serve out the remainder of former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s term, which means he will be right back up for election in November, potentially facing many of the same opponents in the current race.
Greene, long among Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress, announced her resignation late last year after publicly feuding with the president over issues including his handling of the files of the late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
A Cook Political Report analysis found Georgia’s 14th District voted 19 points more in favor of Republicans than the nation as a whole, making it Georgia’s most Republican district.