District 14 Race Sees Groundswell of Candidates Including Three From Dade
Nearly two dozen people are vying for the now-open District 14 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and with that many candidates qualifying and the specific timing of the special election, the race is projected to be both a long and grueling contest.
The list of 22 candidates includes Dade County residents Clay Fuller, Colton Moore and Rush Ruszkowski.
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene–who was first elected in 2020 and subsequently reelected in 2022 and 2024–announced her resignation from the seat in November of last year, and her final day in office was Jan. 5. Shortly thereafter, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp called for a special election, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger set the date of the election for March 10. Should any one candidate at that time fail to get a majority of the votes–or 50 percent plus one vote–a runoff election will be held on April 7 between the two candidates who held the highest percentage of the vote the month before.
Until the seat is filled, Georgia’s 14th District remains without representation in the U.S. House.
In Georgia, special elections are generally referred to as “jungle” elections where all candidates compete on the same ticket, regardless of party affiliation. The potential runoff in April could then feature two candidates from the same party.
But the winner of the special election won’t hold the House seat for long before needing to hit the campaign trail once again. Their time in office would officially end in January 2027, and because the seat is up for election in November of this year–as per the regular election cycle–candidates hoping to fill the next two-year term will have to qualify and run in the May primaries and potentially the June primary runoffs before squaring off in the general election on Nov. 3.
Those qualifying for the special election include 17 republicans, three democrats, a libertarian and an independent. Two of those republicans and the one independent–Fuller, Moore and Ruszkowski, respectively–hail from Dade County. Detailed profiles of each will be available in future issues of the Dade County Sentinel.
Moore said his track record in the Georgia Legislature speaks for itself.
“We need a fighter in Washington,” Moore said. “I’ve been a fighter to lower your taxes and lower your costs in Georgia, and I’m ready to take that fight to Washington D.C. because I want the next generation to know what this freedom is all about.”
Fuller said in a video that he’s running to help drive economic growth in North Georgia.
“I’m running to bring manufacturing back … so our kids can still raise a family on one honest paycheck in the same community where their ancestors are buried,” Fuller said in a video statement on his Facebook page. “North Georgia raised me. I served this country in uniform. The people of this district asked me to keep our streets safe as a prosecutor, and now I’m asking you to send me to Washington to keep our country safe.”
Ruszkowski said he’s focused on small donors and building a constituency from the ground up.
“This campaign starts with volunteers, small donors and neighbors who believe we deserve better representation,” he said. “If you believe in honest leadership, energy independence and putting people before politics, I’d be honored to have you with us.”
Early voting runs from Feb. 16 to Mar. 6 and is open every day except Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Commission Room at the Dade County Administrative Building in Trenton, and all precincts countywide will be open for voting on election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voter registration for the special election ends on Feb. 9.
As for the district itself, Georgia’s 14th Congressional District includes a mix of rural communities and small cities and spans multiple counties, including Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield, as well as parts of Cobb County.
The district was created after the 2010 Census and has been represented by Republicans since its inception. Based on recent election results, it is considered one of the most Republican-leaning districts in Georgia.
If you’re interested in serving as a poll worker–and Dade County is searching for interested individuals–here’s what Georgia law requires. Poll workers must be U.S. citizens who are at least 16 years old, able to read, write and speak English, and they must live or work in the county where they serve. Election officials must determine that poll workers are “judicious, intelligent and upright.”
Poll workers may not be candidates in the election they are administering or hold public office, except for positions within a specific political party. Close relatives of a candidate are barred from serving in a precinct where that candidate appears on the ballot. Poll workers from neighboring counties may work in counties where they do not have residence as long as there is a need. These allowances are made at the discretion of local election officials.
To become a poll worker, visit the Dade County Election Office.
Below is a full list of candidates who qualified in mid January for the special election. It is in alphabetical order by last name and party.
Star Black, Republican, Cobb County
Star Black is a former federal emergency management official. According to her campaign materials, her professional background includes work in disaster response and recovery, coordination of emergency logistics and collaboration with federal, state and local agencies during emergency operations. Her work involved planning and operational support during emergency situations. Black is a first-time candidate for elected office.
Reagan Box, Republican, Floyd County
Reagan Box is a horse trainer and small business owner. Her campaign materials describe her work in equine training and agricultural operations, including animal care and business management. She has not previously held elected office.
Beau Brown, Republican, Floyd County
Beau Brown is a risk management and safety professional. His campaign materials describe private-sector experience advising organizations on workplace safety practices, regulatory compliance and risk mitigation strategies. He is a first-time candidate for public office.
Marty Brown, Republican, Whitfield County
Marty Brown is a firefighter and small business owner. His public biography emphasizes experience in emergency response and local public safety. He has not previously held elected office.
Jared Craig, Republican, Coweta County
Jared Craig is an attorney. His professional background includes legal practice in the private sector. Craig has previously run for Congress but has not held elected office.
Eric Cunningham, Republican, Paulding County
Eric Cunningham is a sales executive and business professional. His campaign materials reference experience in business development and sales management. He is running for public office for the first time.
Clay Fuller, Republican, Dade County
Clayton Fuller was the elected district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit before recently stepping down after qualifying for the District 14 race. His official biography notes prior service as an assistant district attorney before his election as district attorney. His responsibilities in that role included oversight of criminal prosecutions, management of prosecutorial staff and administration of the judicial circuit. Fuller has previously been a candidate for Congress.
Tom Gray, Republican, Cobb County
Tom Gray is a pastor and former university professor. His background includes religious ministry and teaching in higher education settings. His public materials reference experience in instruction and pastoral leadership. He has not previously held elected office.
Larry Hilley, Republican, Catoosa County
Larry Hilley is self-employed. Limited biographical information beyond his occupation and residence is publicly available through official sources. He has not previously held elected office.
Christian Hurd, Republican, Whitfield County
Christian Hurd is a United States Marine Corps veteran. His campaign materials identify his military service as a central part of his background. He has not previously held elected office.
Trey Kelly, Republican, Fulton County
Trey Kelly works in insurance and financial services. He previously served as a county-level Republican Party chair in Fulton County, with responsibilities including party organization and local political leadership.
Nicky Lama, Republican, Whitfield County
Nicky Lama is a Dalton city commissioner and real estate developer. His official biography reflects experience in municipal government and private-sector real estate development.
Colton Moore, Republican, Dade County
Colton Moore is an auctioneer and dump truck driver, and a former member of the Georgia General Assembly. He represented Georgia’s 1st House District in the Georgia State House of Representatives from January 14, 2019 to January 14, 2021, and represented Georgia’s 53rd Senate District in the Georgia State Senate from January 9, 2023 to January 13, 2026.
Brian Stover, Republican, Paulding County
Brian Stover is a former Paulding County commissioner and business owner. His public biography notes ownership of a waste management company and service in county government.
Megahn Strickland, Republican, Cobb County
Megahn Strickland is a travel consultant and small business operator. Limited additional biographical information is available through official campaign materials. She has not previously held elected office.
Jim Tully, Republican, Paulding County
Jim Tully is a former congressional staffer and former chair of the Georgia Republican Party’s 14th District. His background includes work in federal legislative offices and party leadership roles. He has not held elected office.
Jennifer Jaye Turnipseed, Republican, Walker County
Jennifer Jaye Turnipseed is a farmer and teacher as well as an Army veteran. Her campaign materials identify experience in agriculture and farm operations. She has not previously held elected office.
Shawn Harris, Democrat, Polk County
Shawn Harris is a retired brigadier general in the United States Army. His military career included senior leadership roles prior to retirement. His public biography also identifies him as a cattle farmer. Harris was previously a nominee for Congress in Georgia’s 14th District.
Jim Davis, Democrat, Floyd County
Jim Davis is a retired businessman. His background includes private business ownership and management. He has not previously held elected office.
Jonathan Hobbs, Democrat, Paulding County
Jonathan Hobbs is a patent practitioner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Limited biographical information beyond his legal profession is available at this time.
Andrew Underwood, Libertarian, Walker County
Andrew Underwood is the Libertarian Party nominee in the special election. Publicly available information focuses on his candidacy and party affiliation. He has not held elected office.
Rob “Rush” Ruszkowski, Independent, Dade County
Rob Ruszkowski is a businessman, having built a career in sales and building businesses. His public biography references small business ownership. He previously served on Dennis Kucinich’s campaign team. He has not previously held public office.
