U.S. House, Georgia 14th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 14th Congressional District?
Clay Fuller has the strongest record in Georgia's 14th Congressional District. Clay Fuller scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Shawn Harris at 61, as of October 9, 2026. Clay Fuller's highest marks are showing up and relevant experience. Shawn Harris's highest marks are accountability and relevant experience. Jonathan R. McHugh (0 of 15 criteria) and Robert A. Ruszkowski (1 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Clay Fuller
68 / 100
Public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 88
Democratic
Shawn Harris
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
Write-in
Jonathan R. McHugh
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 0 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- NR
- Performance
- NR
Write-in
Robert A. Ruszkowski
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Clay Fuller
- Credit2026-03-22
Debated Democrat Shawn Harris at an Atlanta Press Club debate on March 22, 2026, before the April 7 special election runoff.
- Credit2026-09
Missed none of 205 House roll call votes from April to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
- Credit2026-08-21
Launched a County Connections program of casework events across seven district counties in August 2026, in addition to district offices in Dallas, Rome and Dalton.
- Credit2023-02-22
Appointed district attorney of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit (Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties) by Gov. Brian Kemp on Feb. 22, 2023.
- Credit2019
Served as a White House Fellow from 2018 to 2019, per Ballotpedia and his office biography.
Source: Ballotpedia, Clayton Fuller
Shawn Harris
- On the record2026-04-07
Lost the April 7, 2026 special election runoff to Clay Fuller and conceded the race that night.
- Credit2026-03-30
Served 40 years in the military, including as an infantry commander in Afghanistan, and retired as a brigadier general in the Army National Guard, per the Associated Press.
- Credit2026-03-22
Debated Republican Clay Fuller at an Atlanta Press Club debate on March 22, 2026, before the April 7 special election runoff.
- Credit2026-10-01
Held open campaign town halls in the district in 2026, including Ringgold on Aug. 12 and Cobb County on Oct. 1.
Sources: Chattanooga Times Free Press, Aug. 13, 2026, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Oct. 2, 2026
Jonathan R. McHugh
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Robert A. Ruszkowski
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Clay Fuller. New member financial disclosure filed May 19, 2026. No periodic transaction reports on the Clerk index, no House Ethics Committee matter and no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078339, House Committee on Ethics site search for Fuller, FEC administrative fines search
Shawn Harris. A House candidate financial disclosure covering Jan. 1, 2025 to April 15, 2026 was filed May 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found for either of his committees.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078352, FEC administrative fines search
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Clay Fuller. No public record found.
Shawn Harris. No public record found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Clay Fuller. Debated Shawn Harris at the Atlanta Press Club before the April 2026 runoff. No open in-person town hall and no 2026 general election debate found.
Shawn Harris. Debated Clay Fuller at the Atlanta Press Club before the April 2026 runoff and has held open town halls in the district, including Ringgold on Aug. 12 and Cobb County on Oct. 1, 2026.
Sources: Atlanta News First, March 23, 2026, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Aug. 13, 2026, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Oct. 2, 2026
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Clay Fuller. Air Force judge advocate, Air National Guard officer, district attorney from 2023 to 2026 and U.S. representative since April 2026, with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Clayton Fuller
Shawn Harris. Served 40 years in the military, including as an infantry commander in Afghanistan, retiring as a brigadier general. No formal conduct finding found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Clay Fuller. Sworn as an Air Force officer, as district attorney (appointed 2023) and as a U.S. representative on April 14, 2026, after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Clayton Fuller, Office of the Governor of Georgia, Feb. 22, 2023
Shawn Harris. Served in the Marine Corps and the Army, retiring as a brigadier general in the Army National Guard. No official finding of misuse of office and no action to reject certified results found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Shawn Harris, Associated Press via WTOP, March 30, 2026
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Clay Fuller. District attorney of the four-county Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit from 2023 to 2026, Air Force judge advocate, White House Fellow 2018 to 2019, and U.S. representative since April 14, 2026 (less than one full term).
Sources: Office of the Governor of Georgia, Feb. 22, 2023, Ballotpedia, Clayton Fuller
Shawn Harris. Retired Army National Guard brigadier general with 40 years of service, including infantry command in Afghanistan; now runs a cattle farm in Rockmart.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Clay Fuller. Serves on the House Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure committees; campaign site lists issue positions.
Sources: GovTrack, Clay Fuller, Ballotpedia, Clayton Fuller (campaign website text)
Shawn Harris. Campaign site lists positions on agriculture, health care, cost of living and security, mostly in general terms (for example, pass a fully funded Farm Bill).
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Clay Fuller. Three channels documented: campaign issue pages, an office email newsletter and an Atlanta Press Club debate. Did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey; completed it in 2020.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Clayton Fuller, Office site, home page, Atlanta News First, March 23, 2026
Shawn Harris. Three channels documented: published issue positions, an Atlanta Press Club debate and open town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Shawn Harris, Atlanta News First, March 23, 2026, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Oct. 2, 2026
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Clay Fuller. Served as district attorney for Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties, all in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 42 percent of itemized individual contributions ($381,503 of $911,292) from Georgia.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Shawn Harris. Born in Blakely, Georgia; lives on his cattle farm in Rockmart, in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 14 percent of itemized individual contributions ($264,919 of $1,866,784) from Georgia.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Shawn Harris, Associated Press via WTOP, March 30, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Clay Fuller. Headed the district attorney's office for a four-county judicial circuit from 2023 to 2026. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026; no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC candidate page
Shawn Harris. Commanded infantry in Afghanistan and rose to brigadier general. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026 ($8.1 million raised); no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: Associated Press via WTOP, March 30, 2026, FEC candidate page
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026 ($9,703 raised). No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Clay Fuller. No public record found.
Shawn Harris. No public record found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Clay Fuller. Missed 0 of 205 roll call votes from April to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Shawn Harris. No public record found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Clay Fuller. Runs district offices in Rome, Dallas and Dalton and launched a County Connections program of casework events in seven district counties from August to October 2026.
Sources: Office site, home page, 11Alive via Yahoo News, Aug. 21, 2026
Shawn Harris. No public record found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Clay Fuller. No public record found.
Shawn Harris. No public record found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Clay Fuller. No public record found.
Shawn Harris. No public record found.
Jonathan R. McHugh. No public record found.
Robert A. Ruszkowski. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 14th Congressional District?
Clay Fuller has the strongest record in Georgia's 14th Congressional District. Clay Fuller scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Shawn Harris at 61, as of October 9, 2026. Clay Fuller's highest marks are showing up and relevant experience. Shawn Harris's highest marks are accountability and relevant experience. Jonathan R. McHugh (0 of 15 criteria) and Robert A. Ruszkowski (1 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Georgia's 14th Congressional District in 2026?
Clay Fuller (Republican, incumbent), Shawn Harris (Democratic), Jonathan R. McHugh (Write-in), Robert A. Ruszkowski (Write-in). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Clay Fuller a good candidate for Congress?
Clay Fuller scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 88 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Shawn Harris a good candidate for Congress?
Shawn Harris scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jonathan R. McHugh a good candidate for Congress?
Jonathan R. McHugh has public evidence on 0 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Robert A. Ruszkowski a good candidate for Congress?
Robert A. Ruszkowski has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Georgia race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Georgia 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.