The election to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will be held on March 10, Gov. Brian Kemp announced, and the race is set to include a long list of candidates.
Greene, a conservative Republican who was once one of President Donald Trump’s most stalwart allies, announced plans to resign in November after publicly feuding with the president over issues including health care costs, Israel’s actions in Gaza and the release of the Epstein files.
The two also reportedly clashed behind the scenes over whether Greene should run for either U.S. Senate or Georgia governor, which Trump said he disapproved of her doing.
Monday was Greene’s final day representing Georgia’s District 14 in Congress after four years in office.
Early voting is set to begin on Feb. 16 in the district, which includes Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield counties and portions of Cobb County.
The winner will serve the remainder of Greene’s term and be up for re-election all over again in November.
If no candidate exceeds 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top two will be held on April 7.
That’s a pretty likely outcome – more than 20 candidates have already filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run. Candidates from both parties will all appear on the March 10 ballot together.
The official qualifying period will run from Jan. 12 to 14, so the total number of candidates could grow even higher.
The northwest Georgia district is the most heavily Republican district in the state, and Greene was known as a staunch conservative, appearing alongside Trump at rallies, echoing his false claims of election interference and boosting him on social media before their falling out.
The district’s strong Republican base makes it a plum spot for a conservative lawmaker who would like to avoid challenges from the left.
