LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Tuesday's special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress will head to a runoff. None of the 17 candidates earned more than 50% of the vote. That includes President Trump's pick to replace Greene, District Attorney Clay Fuller.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Mr. Fuller will be in that runoff next month facing a Democrat, Shawn Harris. Harris raised more than $4 million and significantly overperformed compared to when he challenged Greene a couple of years ago. But this is still a red district, so with just one Republican opponent, that Republican has the advantage. NPR's Stephen Fowler is in Georgia and has been reporting on this race. Hey there, Stephen.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: I'm trying to think about how this fits into the broader political narrative. Marjorie Taylor Greene - huge Trump supporter - fell out with him. Trump turned against her. She resigned. Was the race about that yesterday?
FOWLER: Well, all of the Republicans, for the most part, indicated they would be a much lower-profile pick in Washington than Greene. She was vocal in her support for Trump and the eventual displeasure.
INSKEEP: Right.
FOWLER: Clay Fuller, he raised a lot of money. He was polished on the campaign trail, called himself a MAGA warrior when Trump visited the 14th Congressional District earlier this year. Trump's still the most popular figure in Republican politics. He's reshaped the party in his image. At the same time, you are increasingly seeing Republican voters feel comfortable acknowledging his choice isn't the only one.
INSKEEP: Although, given that it's such a red district, why would Fuller not have gotten 50%? Why would he not have won outright?
FOWLER: Well, 17 candidates on the ballot included Democrats, a libertarian, an independent. And it was a lower-turnout special election, so it doesn't take much to alter the margins there.
INSKEEP: Got it.
FOWLER: That said, Sarah Kallis at Georgia Public Broadcasting talked to voters who said Trump's pick wasn't the best embodiment of America First or MAGA to them. That was Colton Moore. He's one of the most conservative lawmakers in Georgia's state legislature. But also, like we've seen over the last decade of Trump endorsements, pretty much everyone aligns with the president, and sometimes it's about who he thinks is more likely to win.
INSKEEP: But I - yeah, I'm thinking about a nuance here. Trump voters stick with Trump no matter what he does - very, very loyal, as we know, over the years. Sometimes his endorsement means a lot, and it can crush someone he doesn't like. Sometimes his endorsement seems to mean nothing. Any sense of how it's shaping up in 2026?
FOWLER: After last week's election, Trump's campaign political director, James Blair, posted online that everyone Trump endorsed either won outright or advanced to a runoff, and that was true in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. But many of those were uncontested primaries or there were no serious challengers. That's also the same for yesterday in Mississippi. But one notable result to me was North Carolina's U.S. Senate primary. Trump's handpicked leader of the Republican National Committee and handpicked choice to represent the party in one of the top Senate races, Michael Whatley, only got 60% in the primary. So unlike other races and places, his seal of approval could not clear the field. And it's something to keep an eye on in the competitive general election there.
INSKEEP: Before we even get to the general election, we've got this runoff, like the one in Georgia, and also one for a Senate seat in Texas, where Trump has not endorsed at all, as I understand it.
FOWLER: Well, Trump teased he would quickly make a pick last week between Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, but it hasn't happened. One reason - he also said the other person should drop out, and both Cornyn and Paxton said that ain't happening. Another reason - voters won't make their choice there until May 26.
Here in Georgia, Trump hasn't weighed in on the Republican Senate primary to take on incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff either. There are two congressmen, Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, along with former college football coach Derek Dooley, that are all running somewhat neck and neck in polling. But the most popular choice for voters and for Trump right now is undecided, with months left to go in the race.
INSKEEP: OK. NPR's Stephen Fowler, thanks so much - really appreciate it.
FOWLER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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