Big money pours into Georgia’s special election to replace Greene

The wild, all-candidate special election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is behind us.

Now an all-out, big-money scramble is underway between Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris for a seat the GOP once held with ease.

You can expect a spate of high-dollar spending from all corners for a ruby-red district the GOP can’t afford to lose.

The first big spend comes from Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by artificial intelligence companies that raised more than $125 million last year.

The group is spending $500,000 on a pro-Fuller spot highlighting President Donald Trump’s endorsement: “Trump endorsed, Georgia proud. That’s Clay Fuller.”

Things to know

Good morning! We’re 69 days away from the primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other races. Here are three things to know for today:

A defiant Moore

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Former state Sen. Colton Moore ran a distant third behind fellow Republican Clay Fuller in Tuesday’s special election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District seat.

Now that he is out of the running to serve the remainder of former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s term, Moore said he will focus on his rematch with Fuller in the May primary for a full two-year term.

He told supporters Tuesday night that he would not give up on his efforts to “wrangle RINOs,” according to a video taken by a reporter for WTVC NewsChannel 9 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

That quote is a play on words for Moore, who has accused Fuller of secretly backing Democratic candidates and issues even as he received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. That would make Fuller a RINO, or Republican in Name Only, in Moore’s book.

“Look at the poll numbers; they don’t really look that good for us,” Moore said as Tuesday’s results started to pour in. “Unfortunately, not every RINO can be wrangled. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop wrangling RINOs.”

Energizer

Credit: Jabin Botsford via Getty Images

Credit: Jabin Botsford via Getty Images

They’re calling it the largest energy deal in U.S. history — and a Georgia political operative helped make it happen.

Trump announced Tuesday that America First Refining plans to open the first new U.S. oil refinery in nearly a half-century, a massive project slated for Brownsville, Texas.

Atlanta-based Republican strategist Nick Ayers helped lead the investment push behind the venture and said the team spent years working to clear financial and regulatory hurdles for a project many believed was impossible.

“This project is a bet on American production, American workers and the long-term strength of our domestic energy economy,” Ayers said.

Voting sale

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Most states let their county governments pick which voting system they want to use. But about 16 states, including Georgia, have contracts that cover every county.

Georgia’s contract will likely open up for bidding next year. Tuesday, one of the heavy hitters in the industry — Election Systems & Software — showed off its machines for lawmakers.

ES&S makes the machines, but they partner with North Carolina-based Printelect to sell them. Chris Andrews, Printelect’s vice president of sales, gave us a tour.

The touchscreen voting machine printed out a paper ballot with a barcode, which Andrews quickly noted would be removed in an updated version. They also offer a hand-marked paper ballot, which is then fed into a machine and later counted by a sophisticated tabulating machine.

“What we have here is any of the scenarios that you would see in a voting situation,” he said.

ES&S already has 14 statewide contracts across the country. Expect them to push hard for Georgia’s contract next year.

On Crossover Day, Senate Bill 568 — which would have replaced Georgia’s voting touchscreens with paper ballots — failed to pass.

Deja vu

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Georgia Republicans appear willing to follow Trump anywhere. But so far, they’ve balked at adopting his crusade against big banks.

The president has previously called out big banks for discriminating against conservatives — himself included — because of their political views. He signed an executive order last year aimed at curbing what he calls “debanking.”

Republican state Sen. Blake Tillery, a candidate for lieutenant governor, sponsored a bill with a similar aim last year. But it failed to pass the Senate over concerns from the banking industry.

Tuesday, Tillery tried again. He filed an amendment to what’s known as the annual “cleanup bill” for the Department of Banking and Finance. But after a lengthy debate, his amendment failed by a vote of 41-9.

Ouch.

The vote might not be an accurate indicator of the measure’s support. Some lawmakers indicated they opposed the amendment simply because they didn’t think it was appropriate to add it to a bill that they pass every year at the request of a state agency.

Under the Gold Dome

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

The Legislature won’t meet today. Instead, lawmakers will hold committee hearings. Some happenings:

Endorsement watch

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

A national gun rights group with more than 4.5 million members has endorsed Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland for attorney general.

The National Association for Gun Rights Political Action Committee cited Strickland’s legislative voting record.

“During his time in the Georgia Legislature, he has been one of the strongest voices against gun control and has fought tirelessly for pro-gun reforms, including constitutional carry and campus carry,” said Dudley Brown, the association’s president.

Strickland is facing Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert in the primary May 19.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we break down the winners and losers from Crossover Day in the state Legislature.

You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Just in case

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

With so much attention on the vote-counting process for the 2026 midterm elections, Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that lawmakers are planning ahead for challenges to the results “out of an abundance of caution.”

That, he said, would help boost confidence in the results, if necessary.

“In the budget, we put money in to do a hand recount to make sure that everyone would be satisfied with what happens in our election,” Kemp said. “I believe we have secure, accessible, fair elections in our state. With the bill we passed back in 2021, we have one of the securest election integrity acts in the country. That remains the case today.”

Today in Washington

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Before you go

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary, who is attempting a political comeback after spending two years in prison for embezzling federal COVID-19 funds, will return to prison to undergo a mental health evaluation.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.