‘Hot’ politics fuel hopefuls to replace US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

ROME, Ga. — Candidates to replace Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene are expected to qualify as soon as this week for a special election. The vote is expected sometime between now and mid-March.  

A year ago this month, state Sen. Colton Moore (R-Trenton) was forcibly stopped by doorkeepers and state troopers from entering the House chamber during a joint session of the legislature.

“Your House rules do not apply” to a joint session, Moore protested as he tried to enter.

Moore persisted and got thrown to the floor. He was taken into custody and escorted out to a patrol car.  Moore had run afoul of a fellow Republican – the House speaker, state Rep. Jon Burns (R-Newington) – who banished Moore because of a perceived insult.

Now Moore wants to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress.

“I’ve been thrown on the ground physically for defending constitutional rights. And if it’s going to cost me personally that’s ok because I recognized how important our God-given rights are,” Moore said Monday in an interview with 11Alive.

Moore is one of at least eleven men and women who have informally declared their candidacy to replace Greene in a special election that won’t list party affiliation on the ballot.

• Reagan Box, a horse trainer;
• Elvis Casely, an actor and delivery man 
• Jared Craig, an attorney
• Jeff Criswell, a “conservative centrist” and entrepreneur
• Clay Fuller, an elected northwest Georgia district attorney
• Brian Stover, a businessman and former Paulding Co. commissioner
• Christian Hurd, a Marine Corps veteran
• Nicky Lama, a Dalton city councilman
• Jim Tully, who worked on Rep. Greene’s Georgia staff

“When the congresswoman decided she was going to resign, instantly my wife and I decided we would have to pick up the staff to go be the torchbearer for the 14th district of Georgia,” Tully told 11Alive on Monday.  

The Republican activist says he shares Greene’s concern about the bitterness undergirding national politics.

“Americans’ favorite pastime is fighting with one another. It’s about time that we have faith foundation and family back to be in our lifestyles,” Tully said.

Moore agreed politics has gotten “hot.”  

“In northwest Georgia we certainly believe it’s not about red and blue party identification anymore. We certainly believe it’s a battle of good and evil. And that’s obviously created a lot of very hot tensions,” Moore said. 

The Georgia secretary of state’s office says it will cost each candidate a $5,220 qualifying fee to enter the special election. Tully thinks that bit of sticker shock may narrow the field a bit.