'Blood in the water': Georgia Republicans 'on edge' as 'fractured GOP field' threatens party

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) left her seat at the start of the year, leaving an open seat in the state's northwest corner. Now, Democrats smell "blood in the water."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday that 21 candidates — mostly Republicans — are vying to replace her.

At a recent Floyd County GOP meeting, GOP candidate Jackie Harling warned voters, “When there’s so many Republican candidates on the ballot with a few Democrats, we could end up with a Democrat as our congressman.”

Politics reporter Greg Bluestein wrote that the comment "sounds outrageous" when thinking about a district Greene won with 63 percent of the vote. President Donald Trump scored even higher numbers.

Harling isn't alone, however.

"Interviews with more than a dozen Republicans across the district show a party on edge — worried that Georgia’s fast-moving contest, voter fatigue, lingering unease over Trump and — most of all — a fractured GOP field and strong Democratic contenders could put even this seat at risk," wrote Bluestein.

Local activist Mickey Tuck was never a fan of Greene, but he's torn between the top three or four GOP candidates to replace her.

“Democrats smell blood in the water,” Tuck said. “And you know they’re going to come out and vote. We could very easily see a Democrat slip in there.”

This election will be 16 Republicans on a ballot to three Democrats, one Libertarian and one Independent. The free-for-all election will happen, followed by a runoff. That candidate must then turn around and run again immediately for a term that will begin in 2027.

Democrats point to Jon Ossoff, who ran for Congress in a 2017 special election that ultimately had 18 candidates. While he lost the runoff election to Republican Karen Handel, Republicans were forced to spend a lot of money to defend the seat. He later succeeded when he ran for U.S. Senate.

Many Democrats are hoping that the candidate will be Shawn Harris, who AJC described as "a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and rancher who won nearly 135,000 votes in 2024."

Harris thinks Republicans will be too busy falling all over themselves to prove their loyalty to President Donald Trump while he intends to focus on economic issues families are struggling with.

Tuck is concerned, seeing yard signs pop up all over Floyd County.

A special election means low turnout and right now, Democrats are motivated against the GOP.

“If a Democrat takes Marjorie’s spot, I’m going to have a conniption,” Harling said. “We are the reddest district in Georgia. We are not going to have a Democrat representing us.”

Read the full report here.