Trump Weighs In After Special Election To Replace MTG Called

 In the Georgia special election to replace former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris advanced Tuesday from a crowded field to an April 7 runoff.

In the firmly Republican district in the northwest corner of the state, Fuller, a district attorney, benefited from President Donald Trump’s support. Greene defeated Harris, a retired Army brigadier general and cattle rancher, in the 14th District general election of 2024.

It was predicted that neither candidate would secure the majority required to prevent a runoff in the special election. Fuller was at 35%, and Harris was at 37% with 99% of the anticipated vote. However, Fuller is the favorite going into the runoff on April 7 in a district that Trump won by 37 percentage points in the 2024 presidential contest.

Trump weighed in after the race was called and shared several posts on Truth Social praising Fuller, arguing that he would be an “excellent” Republican in Congress for the MAGA movement, and urged Republicans to “finish the job” in the April 7th runoff.

“Congratulations to Clay Fuller, of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, on getting such a high percentage of the vote with 12 Republicans running. We want to make the next vote ‘TOO BIG TO RIG.’ Clay will be a GREAT Congressman — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! President DJT,” the president wrote on his Truth Social.

All candidates, regardless of party, must appear on the same ballot according to Georgia’s special election regulations.

It was improbable that any of the 22 candidates—17 of whom were Republicans—would receive more than 50% of the vote and avoid a runoff.

The campaigns of five Republican candidates who were on the ballot have since ended.

With 12% of the vote, Republican Colton Moore, a former state senator, came in a distant third.

A voter NBC News spoke to on Tuesday cited Trump’s support as a factor in the race.

Sarah Umphrey, 77, said she voted for Fuller, adding that Trump’s endorsement was “really important. I like Trump.”

Assuming Republicans hold the seat and win the April 7th runoff, it would give Speaker Mike Johnson more breathing room in the U.S. House, where Republicans have a slim majority.

Fuller has repeatedly said he would be “a warrior for President Trump on Capitol Hill,” but other Republican candidates have also promised to fully support the president’s plans.

“There’s a lot of folks who talk a big conservative game, but when it comes down to doing conservative stuff, they’re nowhere to be found,” Moore said Monday in an interview on a conservative talk radio show on WLAQ, a station in the district based in Rome, Georgia. “We need to find a fighter, a legislator, who’s willing to bring that fight with true vigor.”

Earlier this year, Trump criticized Greene during a rally, days before she left Congress in early January.

Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. During his speech, Trump referred to Greene as a “stone-cold liberal” and “highly neurotic.”

Trump suggested their relationship deteriorated because he did not return her phone calls frequently enough.

Greene recently announced she would resign from Congress following months of tension with Republican leadership. She has publicly criticized members of her own party on issues including affordability, health care and the handling of the Epstein files.

Greene said she decided to leave Congress to avoid what she described as a “hateful primary” backed by Trump.

Trump mocked Greene by referring to her as “Marjorie Traitor Brown.” He said he chose the nickname because, in his words, “green turns to brown under stress.”

“What the hell happened to her?” Trump said during the rally. He claimed Greene appears frequently on CNN and suggested that marked a shift in her political alignment.