Chattooga County voters delivered decisive Republican victories in both of Tuesday’s special election runoff races, with Clay Fuller winning the U.S. House District 14 contest and Lanny Thomas capturing the Georgia State Senate District 53 seat. Official Georgia results show Fuller won Chattooga County with 2,546 votes, or 69.81 percent, compared to 1,101 votes, or 30.19 percent, for Democrat Shawn Harris. In the Senate race, Thomas defeated John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk with 2,686 votes, or 74.38 percent, to 925 votes, or 25.62 percent.
Republican Clay Fuller has been declared the winner in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District special runoff election, securing the seat after a closely watched race across Northwest Georgia.
According to the latest returns, Fuller finished with just over 52 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Shawn Harris, who received just under 48 percent.
The race drew significant attention throughout the district, with early results showing a tight contest before Fuller pulled ahead as more votes were counted.
Fuller, who currently serves as a district attorney, carried strong support in counties like Chattooga, helping boost his overall margin in the district-wide vote.
The runoff was required after no candidate received a majority in the initial March election, setting up the head-to-head matchup between Fuller and Harris.
With the victory, Fuller will now move on to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, a region that includes much of Northwest Georgia.
Election officials say results will remain unofficial until certified, but Fuller’s lead is expected to hold.
Fuller Leads 14th District, Thomas Ahead In State Senate Race As Returns Continue
WZQZ News — Updated election returns from Tuesday night show Republican Clay Fuller now leading Democrat Shawn Harris in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District special runoff, while Republican Lanny Thomas continues to hold a strong lead over Democrat John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk in the State Senate District 53 race.
In the 14th Congressional District contest, the latest numbers show Fuller with 26,043 votes, or 52.02 percent, compared to Harris with 24,016 votes, or 47.98 percent.
In the State Senate District 53 runoff, Thomas is ahead with 6,555 votes, or 64.86 percent, while Zibluk has received 3,552 votes, or 35.14 percent.
While the state results page shows all localities listed in the summary, not all precincts are necessarily fully reported yet, meaning vote totals could still change as additional returns are processed.
Election officials will continue updating results throughout the evening.
Earlier this evening:
Election returns are coming in tonight across Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and State Senate District 53, and the early numbers are showing a split between Chattooga County and the district as a whole. In the 14th District congressional runoff, Republican Clay Fuller is leading in Chattooga County, while Democrat Shawn Harris is holding a narrow district-wide advantage in the latest unofficial results.
According to the numbers shown in the latest update, Harris has 51.48 percent of the vote district-wide with 16,806 votes, compared to Fuller’s 48.52 percent and 15,840 votes. In Chattooga County, however, local returns show Fuller with a substantial lead over Harris. The latest district-wide tally displayed 7 of 10 localities reporting in the congressional race.
In the State Senate District 53 runoff, Republican Lanny Thomas is leading Democrat John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk in the latest unofficial returns. The posted totals show Thomas with 61.09 percent, or 4,765 votes, compared to Zibluk’s 38.91 percent, or 3,035 votes. The latest update showed 4 of 5 localities reporting in that race.
Both contests are being closely watched in Northwest Georgia, with vote totals expected to continue shifting as additional precincts report.
These results remain unofficial until certified by election officials.
Today is Election Day in Chattooga County as voters head to the polls for a Special Election runoff to fill unexpired terms in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Georgia State Senate.
Today is the last day to vote early in the runoff election to decide who will replace Colton Moore in the state senate for the 53rd District and Marjorie Taylor Greene in the United States House of Representatives for the 14th Georgia Congressional District.
Advance Voting for the April 7, 2026 Special Election Runoff to fill the unexpired terms of Marjorie Taylor Greene (US House of Representatives, District 14) and Colton More (State Senate, District 53) will begin today, Monday, March 30, 2026 at 8:30 AM and end at 5 PM on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Daily hours are 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM. All Advance Voting will take place at the Chattooga County Registrars Office located at 10017 Commerce Street in Summerville.
On Election Day, April 7, 2026, the polls are open from 7 AM – 7 PM. All Election Day voting takes place at the assigned polling locations, not the Registrars Office. Polling places in Chattooga County include: Gore Fire Hall, Lyerly Community Center, old Menlo City Hall, Chattooga County Civic Center and the Trion Recreation Department.
Government issued photo ID is required. The registration deadline for this election was March 9, 2026.
State Senate candidate Lanny Thomas is providing a positive health update after suffering a life-threatening medical emergency earlier this month, saying he is improving daily and plans to continue his campaign.
Voters in Chattooga County will be asked to return to the polls on April 7, 2026 to vote in two runoff elections. The runoffs were a result of no candidate getting more than 50% of the vote in the Special Election for the Georgia 53rd Senate District and the 14th U.S. Congressional District races.
Voters in Northwest Georgia are set for a high-stakes runoff election on April 7, as Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris compete to fill the seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene in the 14th Congressional District.
