Democrats have repeatedly overperformed in surprising places this year, including President Donald Trump's own Florida state senate district, but the heights of their forecasted "blue wave" will be tested April 7 in a Georgia congressional seat formerly held by Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Democrats long-shot hopes there are pinned on Shawn Harris, a retired brigadier Army general, who believes the rough economy, unpopular war with Iran and Trump's dipping approval numbers makes this ripe for a political upset, despite the district's strong Republican tilt. Greene, an arch-conservative, beat Harris by about 29% in 2024.
"If you got the right candidate, you got the right message, and then you got the right environment, then, yes, in a place like northwest Georgia... a Democrat like me can win this," Harris told USA TODAY.
The 60-year-old cattle farmer said Democrats used to be a party for "hard-working people" and his campaign has largely stayed focused more on those kitchen-table issues. than the mountainous region along the Tennessee border where its MAGA heart beats loudest.
Georgia's 14th Congressional District is nestled state's northwest corner that grazes Atlanta's suburbs and stretches into a more mountainous Appalachia region bordering Tennessee. It is rated as 19 points more Republican than the country as a whole, according to the Cook Political Report.
