ATLANTA — The ongoing conflict with Iran has emerged as a divisive issue in Georgia’s special congressional runoff election on Tuesday to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Voters in the conservative 14th Congressional District will choose between Republican Clay Fuller, a Trump-endorsed former district attorney and U.S. Air National Guard veteran, and Democrat Shawn Harris, a retired Army brigadier general. Neither candidate secured a majority in the March 10 special election, which featured a crowded field of 17 contenders.
The contest, in a district former President Donald Trump carried by a wide margin, offers one of the first electoral tests of voter sentiment toward the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran that began on Feb. 28, 2026. Those strikes targeted Iranian military sites, nuclear and missile infrastructure, and leadership, including the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. Iran has responded with missile and drone strikes across the region.
Fuller has expressed support for the military action. “Our country is safer because of what President Trump has done regarding Iran,” he said during a debate, according to local news reports.
Harris has criticized the conflict as a “war of choice” that has contributed to higher fuel prices and economic strain on Georgia families without addressing domestic priorities such as grocery costs and housing. He has argued that resources should focus on issues affecting voters in northwest Georgia.
The candidates’ differing views reflect broader divisions within and beyond the Republican Party over U.S. involvement in the Middle East escalation. Greene, who vacated the seat after a public split with Trump, had been a vocal critic of certain foreign entanglements aligned with the “America First” stance.
Campaign discussions have also touched on the economic ripple effects of the conflict, including disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and rising energy costs, though precise impacts on local voters remain difficult to quantify.
Polls close at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Fuller enters the race as the favorite in the heavily Republican district, while Harris outperformed expectations in the initial round by drawing some support in a fragmented conservative field. Results are expected to be closely watched as an early indicator ahead of the 2026 midterms.
As of Tuesday morning, no major incidents had been reported at polling places, according to state election officials. Turnout details were not immediately available.
The winner will serve the remainder of Greene’s term. A separate primary for the full term in November is scheduled later this year.
