Clayton Fuller, a onetime district attorney who campaigned on his loyalty to President Donald Trump, won a special election runoff Tuesday for a House seat in Georgia but by a narrower margin than what Republicans have typically posted in the deep-red district.

Fuller turned back a challenge from Democrat Shawn Harris to claim Georgia’s 14th District, which has been vacant since the Jan. 5 resignation of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump ally-turned-foe.

Fuller was leading Harris, a former Army brigadier general and cattle farmer, 54% to 46% when The Associated Press called the race shortly before 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.

The district, which encompasses all or portions of 10 counties spanning from the northernmost Atlanta suburbs to the state’s northwest corner, is one of the most conservative in the country – Trump carried it by 37 points in 2024, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.

Pro-Fuller outside groups spent heavily to boost the Republican and juice GOP turnout. His winning margin, though, could be a warning sign to Republicans ahead of this year’s midterms as Democratic candidates across the country continue to overperform in special elections since Trump’s return to the White House last year.

Fuller will serve out the balance of Greene’s term, which expires next January. He will also seek a full term during the regular primaries next month.

Fuller’s win enables House Republicans to pad their razor-thin majority. But that edge could be short-lived, with Democrats favored to win a special election in New Jersey next week.

Fuller, who spent a year in the White House as a fellow during Trump’s first term, pitched himself as a “MAGA warrior” and was careful not to praise his GOP predecessor during the campaign.

Greene resigned from Congress following a public fallout with Trump over the release of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; expiring health care subsidies; and what she saw as Trump’s overdue focus on foreign policy.

She stayed out of the special election to succeed her, leaving Trump to endorse Fuller in February. It helped propel him to the top of a crowded GOP field that featured a dozen candidates, including state Sen. Colton Moore, who also campaigned on his support of the president. Under Georgia special election rules, all candidates, regardless of party, ran on the same March ballot, with Harris and Fuller advancing to the runoff after no one took more than 50% of the first round vote.

In Fuller, voters appear to have chosen a Republican who was a decided contrast from Greene, particularly during her last few months in office. In interviews and debates, he vehemently defended Trump’s agenda, including the administration’s crackdown on immigration and military campaign against Iran.

And where Greene was known for her bombastic style, off-the-cuff remarks and ability to draw headlines, Fuller is soft-spoken and limited his press interactions mostly to local news outlets.

A Bible-quoting, law-and-order type, Fuller previously served as an assistant staff judge advocate for the U.S. Air Force and spent a decade as a deputy staff judge advocate for the Air National Guard in Montgomery, Ala.

Most recently, he was a district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit in northwest Georgia. He was appointed in 2023 but left office earlier this year to run for Congress.

He campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform focused on public safety concerns, including tackling drug and gang-related crime. He has said he would work in Congress to cut taxes, “ban Sharia law” and end immigration from certain countries he characterized as “third world.” But many of Fuller’s stances have also been somewhat vague – often simply pointing to his support of Trump policies.

Both Fuller and Harris are seeking the seat for the full two-year term that begins in January. Nine other Republicans have also qualified to be on the May 19 primary ballot.

And while Fuller and Harris are at odds politically, the pair have one thing in common: They both previously lost a race to Greene. Fuller finished a distant fourth in the 2020 Republican primary, while Harris lost the 2024 general election by nearly 30 points.

Harris, who initially sought a rematch against Greene, outraised Fuller in the special election, bringing in a staggering $6.4 million through March 18, compared with Fuller’s roughly $1.3 million.

In his TV ads, Harris sought to present himself as a moderate Democrat, unafraid to call out members of both parties. His policy platform focused largely on local health care and agriculture concerns.

Once Fuller is sworn in, there will be two vacancies in the House. Voters on April 16 will select a new member to fill the New Jersey seat Democrat Mikie Sherrill vacated after she was elected to the state’s governorship last fall. An all-party special election to fill the late California Republican Doug LaMalfa’s seat is set for June.

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(Daniela Altimari contributed to this report.)

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