At least 22 candidates are running to succeed Marjorie Taylor Greene after the Georgia Republican left Congress last week.
In November, Greene — a former Donald Trump ally first elected to represent Georgia’s 14th District in 2020 — announced she would resign after a public split with the president. Her final day in office was January 5, 2026.
During her tenure, Greene repeatedly clashed with GOP leadership over issues ranging from files tied to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to foreign policy decisions and last year’s government shutdown.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has scheduled the special election for March 10, as Republicans try to defend their slim five-seat majority in the House ahead of the November midterms. Given the district’s deep conservative lean, the seat is widely expected to remain in Republican hands — but the results could still offer clues about where Trump-aligned voters are heading roughly 14 months into his second term.
“The Georgia special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene is as much a test of the kind of Republican people want to represent them as anything else,” Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K., told Newsweek.
“We’re likely to see a GOP fight between MTG-type MAGA activists with a focus on economic affordability, and more buccaneering Trumpists offering fealty to the Trump 2.0 agenda.”
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), 22 candidates are currently in the race: 19 Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent.
All candidates will appear on the same ballot. If no one wins an outright majority, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on April 7.
The candidates
Democrats
- Shawn Harris
- Clarence Blalock
Republicans
- Star Black
- Reagan Box
- Jefferson Edward Criswell
- Michael Allen Corbin
- Uloma Ekpete
- Elvis Casely
- Benjamin Cope
- Linvel Risner
- Jim Tully
- Jenna Turnipseed
- James Brown
- Timothy Brown
- Colton Moore
- Nicky Lama
- Jacqueline Wilmer
- Thomas Gray
- Megahn Strickland
- Christian Hurd
- Brian Stover
Independent
- Rob Ruszkowski
With polling not yet underway, the early shape of the contest is hard to pin down. Still, several contenders are better known than others. Colton Moore, for example, is a state senator and a familiar name in Georgia politics. Democrat Shawn Harris also brings prior campaign experience: he ran against Greene in November 2024 and received 36 percent of the vote to Greene’s 64 percent.
Charles S. Bullock, III, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, said: “I suspect that the leading candidate is Senator Colton Moore from the extreme North West corner of the district. He has been very successful at attracting media coverage, is much like MTG was until her recent road to Damascus experience so his views and style would be seen by many as a continuation of MTG’s previous approach.”
“I would expect one Republican, probably State Senator Colton Moore, whose senate district constitutes 22 percent of Greene’s congressional district, and one Democrat, probably Shawn Harris, to make the runoff,” Calvin Jillson, a politics professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas, told Newsweek. “Greene won by 28 points in 2024, so I would expect the Republican to prevail in the runoff, but the margin will likely shrink as Democrats have been overperforming around the country. How much the margin shrinks may give us some insight into the November 2026 general elections are likely to go.”
He added: “A lower probability outcome, but an immensely entertaining possibility, is that the nineteen Republican candidates so divide the conservative vote that the two Democrats slip through to the runoff. Governor Kemp’s political machine should be advising some of the no-hope Republican candidates out of this race.”
FEC filings show the top fundraisers so far are Harris ($1,292,261.99), Black ($78,180.60), and Box ($51,059.50).
It’s also possible the field changes. The FEC list reflects candidates who have registered and filed a financial report, and more may still enter in the weeks ahead. Trump has not endorsed anyone yet, but an endorsement could reshape the race quickly.
Bullock said: “The 14th is MAGA-land so anyone who wins will almost certainly follow the party line. A Trump endorsement would be helpful in this district.”
