How the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene is testing the power of Trump’s endorsement

President Donald Trump's influence over the Republican Party faces a new test Tuesday with a round-robin special election in northwest Georgia to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Trump ally-turned-critic who vacated her congressional seat in January. Clay Fuller, a former prosecutor and Air Force veteran, won Trump's endorsement among nearly 20 candidates. But the presidential seal of approval, which Trump delivered last month on a visit to the district, has done little to speed up the notoriously crowded race. “We are the candidate who will support you on Capitol Hill,” Fuller told reporters Tuesday outside a voting center in Rome, Georgia. “Even though some other candidates in this race may say they are 100% pro-Trump, I think it's important for voters to ask them what percentage they are now that President Trump has endorsed us.” However, other Republican rivals in the election have also promised to fully support the president and his agenda. Colton Moore, a former state senator and conservative firebrand, has been running ads suggesting he is the true “America First” candidate and Trump loyalist in the race. He praised the president but downplayed the importance of Trump's endorsement, saying, "Swamp money has come against us." “There are a lot of people talking about a big conservative game, but when it comes to doing conservative things, they are nowhere to be found,” Moore said Monday in an interview on a conservative radio show on WLAQ, a district station based in Rome, Georgia. “We need to find a fighter, a legislator, who is willing to fight with real vigor.” Tom Gray, a pastor also running to replace Greene, expressed support for Trump but added, "We are independent thinkers and decision makers." Jim Tully, a former Greene staffer and longtime Republican activist who is on the ballot, also touted his admiration for Trump. However, he said voters loyal to the president could draw their own conclusions about the race, saying, "We've never talked about this being President Trump's district. This district belongs to the people." Could a Democrat win? The sprawling 14th Congressional District covers 10 counties stretching from the Atlanta suburbs to the Appalachian foothills along the Tennessee state line. It's ruby ​​red country for Trump, but with enough Democrats and independents to give Republicans heartburn in a special election that sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to a runoff in April if no candidate wins more than 50%. "If Georgia 14 turns blue, it would be a tragedy for the president's agenda," Fuller told CNN. "We, as a party, need to start having an honest conversation about that." Shawn Harris, a retired Marine brigadier general who lost to Greene in 2024, is the Democratic contender Republicans are most concerned about. He received nearly 135,000 votes the last time he was on the ballot, a fraction of which would likely carry him to a runoff, although turnout Tuesday is expected to be lower than in the 2024 race. Harris said Republicans tried to get her to switch parties, but instead she is trying to recruit moderate or disillusioned Republicans into her campaign, even, she said, if they come secretly. "Voting is not church," Harris said in an interview. "You don't have to confess. You just have to go in and do what's best for you, your family and your grandchildren." Republican officials believe Harris is likely to be one of the top two finishers to advance to a runoff on April 7. Regardless of the outcome of that election, candidates must run for the seat again this fall, beginning with the May 19 primary, in a dizzying series of elections. The dispute between Trump and Greene, a former ally, has created a sense of unrest and anger among some voters in the