Democrats seek upset in Marjorie Taylor Greene's former Georgia seat [View all]

Source: USA Today

Updated April 7, 2026, 10:32 a.m. ET


Democrats have repeatedly overperformed in surprising places this year, including President Donald Trump's own Florida state senate district, but the heights of their forecasted "blue wave" will be tested April 7 in a Georgia congressional seat formerly held by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Democrats long-shot hopes there are pinned on Shawn Harris, a retired brigadier Army general, who believes the rough economy, unpopular war with Iran and Trump's dipping approval numbers makes this ripe for a political upset, despite the district's strong Republican tilt. Greene, an arch-conservative, beat Harris by about 29% in 2024.

"If you got the right candidate, you got the right message, and then you got the right environment, then, yes, in a place like northwest Georgia... a Democrat like me can win this," Harris told USA TODAY. The 60-year-old cattle farmer said Democrats used to be a party for "hard-working people" and his campaign has largely stayed focused more on those kitchen-table issues.

Georgia's 14th Congressional District is nestled state's northwest corner that grazes Atlanta's suburbs and stretches into a more mountainous Appalachia region bordering Tennessee. It is rated as 19 points more Republican than the country as a whole, according to the Cook Political Report.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/04/07/special-election-marjorie-taylor-greene-district/89455711007/