Chattooga County Delivers Strong Republican Wins In Both Runoff Races

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.

Read more

Election Night Returns – WZQZ – April 7, 2026

Update 8:13 PM:

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.

 

Special Election Runoff Tomorrow – Voting Takes Place in Local Precincts

Tomorrow, voters will return to the polls to decide who will replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the United States House of Representatives and Colton Moore in the Georgia State Senate.

Voters in the 14th Congressional District in Georgia, which includes Chattooga County, will be deciding between former Lookout Mountain District Attorney Clay Fuller, a Republican, and retired Brigadier General and cattle farmer Shawn Harris, a Democrat.  Voters in the 53rd State Senate District, which also includes Chattooga County, will be deciding between Republican Lanny Thomas, the former Mayor of Trion, and Lookout Mountain educator Democrat Jack Zibluck.

Voting will take place in local precincts.  There will be no voting at the Chattooga County Registrars Office.  Voting will be from 7 AM until 7 PM.

Be sure to bring a picture ID when you come to vote.

Last Day to Vote Early in Special Election Runoff

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.

Read more

Erin Brockovich Returns To Northwest Georgia Amid PFAS Concerns

Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is set to return to Northwest Georgia next week as the PFAS Georgia team announces a major expansion of water, soil, and dust testing in Rome and several surrounding counties. Organizers say the renewed push comes after more than 20 months of work in the region uncovered some of the highest levels of “forever chemicals” found anywhere in the country.

Read more

Absentee Ballots for April 7th Runoff Election Available Until March 27

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.

Read more

Fuller, Harris Clash Ahead of April 7 Runoff in Georgia’s 14th District

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.

Read more

Voters Return to the Polls for Special Election Runoff – April 7

Voters in the 53rd Georgia State Senate District and the 14th U.S. Congressional District will return to the polls for a runoff election that will be held on April 7th.

Read more

Fuller, Harris Advance to Runoff in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District

Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris will face each other in an April 7 runoff election after no candidate received a majority in Tuesday’s special election to fill the remaining months of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former U.S. House seat.

Read more

“Country Democrats Rising” Event Set for February 21 in Walker County

 

A political and community event titled “Country Democrats Rising” is scheduled for Saturday, February 21, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Walker County Ag Center located at 10052 North Highway 27 in Rock Spring. Organizers describe the gathering as a mix of political discussion, entertainment, and music.

The event will feature comedian Corey Ryan Forrester, also known as the “Redneck Liberal,” along with appearances by local and congressional candidates, including U.S. Congressional candidate Shawn Harris and Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard. A cornbread and chili lunch is also planned for attendees, along with live country music from Abston/Mast Trio.

Tickets are priced at $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $15 for youth ages 16 to 30, with organizers noting the event is for adults only. Prepaid tickets are available online through ActBlue.