Greene resigned from the House effective at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, ending her unconventional and chaotic time on Capitol Hill since she first came into office in 2021. With her departure and the death of Republican California Rep. Doug LaMalfa, House Republicans currently hold 218 seats, compared to 213 held by Democrats. There are also two current Democratic vacancies.
More than 20 competitors are vying for the chance to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, which is likely to remain in Republican hands. The winner will finish out Greene’s term until the November midterm elections. Twenty-two candidates have filed with the Federal Election Commission.
On the Republican side, candidates include state Sen. Colton Moore, FEMA veteran Star Black, Beau Brown, Elvis Casely, Benjamin Cope, Jeff Criswell, Christian Hurd, Linvel Risner, Jim Tully, and Jenna Turnipseed.
Shawn Harris and Clarence Blalock are running on the Democratic side, and Rob Ruszkowski, who did not list a party, is also in the race.
Greene has not weighed in on a particular candidate but did say on Dec. 21, 2025, that she heard a possible candidate say, “I’m not going to be like MTG.”
“If you are going to run to replace me, you better run for the people, telling them how YOU will REPRESENT them, NOT how you will bow to loyalty to the WH (White House) and Republican leadership,” she wrote in a post. “The race is about YOU, not ME, and the job title is Representative of the People, not yourself or the President or the Republican Party.”
Kemp’s quick turnaround in scheduling a special election comes after Texans waited a month to get a special election date for the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner’s seat. Turner died on March 5, 2025, with the deadline passing for candidates to file for a possible special election later that month.
Abbott finally announced on April 7 of last year that a special election would take place on Nov. 4, 2025. However, that race ended in a runoff, which is set for Jan. 31, 2026, meaning Turner’s seat in the 18th Congressional District will have been vacant for nearly a year.
HERE’S WHERE HOUSE RETIREMENTS STAND AS CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT ON 2025
The House lost another member on Tuesday with the death of LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer and representative of California’s 1st District since 2013.
LaMalfa’s seat is one of five being targeted by California Democrats to flip in 2026, thanks to redistricting, which is intended to counter gerrymandering done by Texas Republicans last year. It is unclear when a special election for his seat will be called by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). According to California law, the governor must issue a proclamation of a special election within 14 calendar days of a vacancy.
