Trump’s Kingmaker Power Tested: Fuller and Thompson Navigate Shifting Political Tides

On Tuesday, voters across the South delivered significant signals regarding the current political landscape. The results highlighted both the enduring influence of President Donald Trump’s endorsements and the resilience of long-serving Democratic incumbents facing younger challengers. In Georgia, a special election unfolded to fill a vacant House seat, while Mississippi saw a decisive victory for a senior congressman. These contests offer a glimpse into how party dynamics are evolving in 2026.

The focus in Georgia was on replacing Marjorie Taylor Greene, who abruptly resigned from her U.S. House seat on January 5 following conflicts with the President. She had previously argued that Trump had strayed from his America First promises, becoming a critic before leaving office. Her departure left the deep-red 14th District vacant, narrowing Republicans’ already-tenuous majority in the House. More than a dozen candidates entered the race to succeed her. Clay Fuller, the district attorney favored by Trump, secured more than a third of the vote late Tuesday night. He easily outpaced his top Republican rival, former state representative Colton Moore, who received about 12 percent. Meanwhile, Democrat Shawn Harris led the overall field with approximately 37 percent of the vote. Since no candidate achieved a majority, Fuller and Harris will face off in a runoff on April 7. Although the district favored Trump by roughly 37 points in 2024, Democrats hoped the divided Republican field would allow them to win a plurality. However, Fuller is expected to prevail in the next round despite Harris’s strong showing as a military veteran who previously lost to Greene in 2024.

Across the border in Mississippi, the narrative centered on generational change versus established leadership. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a 78-year-old congressman first elected in 1993, won his primary decisively over Evan Turnage. Turnage, a 34-year-old lawyer and former aide, sought to tap into calls for new leadership. In a campaign ad, he told voters the same old playbook from the nineties had failed them. Thompson secured more than 80 percent of the vote late Tuesday. He is well known for chairing the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Despite challenges regarding his record in Mississippi’s second District, one of the poorest in the country, Thompson is expected to win the blue district including Jackson in November. This victory contrasts with recent retirements among senior Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Steny H. Hoyer, and Jerry Nadler.

The results underscore Trump’s role as a kingmaker, though exceptions exist. While he often unifies the party, notable failures occurred in 2022 when Governor Brian Kemp beat back Trump’s handpicked candidate after resisting pressure regarding the 2020 election results. In this Georgia race, Moore was known for rankling leaders similarly to Greene but deemed too unpredictable by the President. Local Republicans noted strong ground support for Moore initially, yet voters sided with Trump in the end. This dynamic illustrates the delicate balance between grassroots conservative sentiment and presidential authority within the party structure.