Who Will Replace MTG? Here Are The Top Contenders

With Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigning, several high-profile contenders are vying for her seat.

Georgia’s 14th District in the state’s northwest has drawn a crowded Republican field, with multiple candidates already filing or signaling interest in the special-election. (RELATED: How Did Marjorie Taylor Greene End Up Here?)

My message to Georgia’s 14th district and America.
Thank you. pic.twitter.com/tSoHCeAjn1

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) November 22, 2025

Two notable challengers had already filed with the Federal Election Commission before Greene announced her January 2026 departure: Star Black, a business owner and retired FEMA official, and Jeff Criswell, a businessman who owns a sports memorabilia store in metro Atlanta.

Black, who entered the race in June, has lived in the Kennesaw portion of the district for nearly two decades, according to Atlanta First News.

Criswell was the Republican nominee against Democratic Georgia Lucy McBath in the 2024 election, which he lost.

James Tully, chairman of the 14th District GOP and one of Greene’s top field operatives, announced on X that he will run for the seat. Tully has been a longtime Greene loyalist.

“I’m announcing tonight that I am absolutely running for Congress in the mighty 14th congressional district of northwest Georgia,” Tully wrote. “I am going to continue my desire to be a part and to serve.”

Running for Congress in the Mighty Georgia 14! pic.twitter.com/Yt0HKoQwfD

— Jim Tully 🇺🇸 (@Jim_Tully) November 25, 2025

Elvis Casely, a former sales professional and actor, has filed to run on a platform focused on consumer protection and family policy.

Several other potential candidates are considering entering the race, including Dalton City Councilman Nicky Lama, a small business owner who said he is weighing a bid, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, has also expressed interest in running. Moore has cultivated a reputation for discord with his own party’s leadership in Atlanta,

He was arrested at the State Capitol in January for “attempting to disrupt official proceedings” outside the House Chamber ahead of the State of the State address, even “push[ing] into Troopers multiple times,” the Georgia Department of Public Safety alleges.

“Despite multiple verbal warnings and several attempts to de-escalate the situation, Senator Moore persisted in his attempts to disrupt official proceedings inside the House Chamber,” the release states. He was charged with willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.

🚨New: Georgia State Senator Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore has expressed interest in running for the Georgia 14th Congressional District Special Election next year pic.twitter.com/8jmQ5KsE4L

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 22, 2025

Moore has also publicly clashed with Gov. Brian Kemp, at one point accusing Georgia National Guard troops deployed to the Texas border of “working for Biden” during the standoff between Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over Texas efforts to curb illegal immigration, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

Some in the GOP view the crowded field as potentially problematic, though not for the reasons one might expect.

“The concern some Republicans have raised is purely practical,” one source familiar with the matter said. “When an incumbent leaves their seat to run for another office, it can trigger a domino effect. Other officeholders may jump into that race, which opens their seats, and suddenly you have multiple seats exposed at once. The risk isn’t about any one candidate, the risk is losing seats in the chaos.”

Other potential candidates have announced plans to run but haven’t yet filed with the FEC, including Christian Hurd, a 28-year-old Marine Corps veteran from Whitfield County, and Joseph Bergeman, a middle school history and science teacher. (RELATED: As MTG Approaches Her Departure, Here’s A Look Back At Her Fiery Battles With Democrats)

Also in the mix are Jared Craig, the Newnan attorney who challenged Republican Rep. Drew Ferguson in Georgia’s 3rd District GOP primary in 2022 and launched his campaign for Greene’s seat on Dec. 1, according to the Newnan Times-Herald.