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Who has officially declared candidacy to run for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s U.S. House seat in 2026?
Executive summary
As of the available reporting in these search results, several Republicans have signaled interest or formed exploratory committees to seek Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat after she announced she will resign effective Jan. 5, 2026 — but clear, filed, “official” 2026 candidacy declarations are sparse in the cited coverage (exploratory activity and named prospective challengers include Christian Hurd and Star Black) [1]. Major outlets emphasize that Greene’s resignation triggers a special election and that President Trump said he would be open to endorsing a primary challenger, intensifying recruitment efforts even where formal filings aren’t yet reported [2] [3].
1. Who has publicly signaled plans or exploratory activity to run
Reporting highlights at least two Republicans who are actively preparing to challenge or already positioning themselves: Christian Hurd has formed an exploratory committee to consider a primary bid against Greene, and Star Black is identified as running in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 14th district [1]. Local coverage frames these steps as concrete early moves rather than completed federal candidate filings [1].
2. What national outlets report about declared candidates and the race
National outlets in this collection focus largely on Greene’s surprise resignation and its fallout — including how Trump’s withdrawal of support opened the door for challengers — rather than publishing comprehensive lists of officially declared 2026 candidates for GA-14. For example, Fox News and NPR explain that Greene’s exit will create a special election but do not enumerate a slate of officially declared 2026 contenders beyond noting the political pressure to find Trump-backed alternatives [2] [4].
3. How Trump’s comments changed the dynamic and candidate recruitment
Donald Trump publicly withdrew his endorsement of Greene and said he would back a primary challenger, a development cited across multiple outlets as a primary driver in the recruitment of potential opponents [5] [6]. Conservative outlets and pundits immediately began naming or speculating about potential challengers — for instance, online commentary linked Laura Loomer to the idea of moving to Georgia and testing the waters — but those pieces explicitly note Loomer had not announced a campaign at the time of reporting [7].
4. Local reporting shows early entrants but not a full candidate list
The Chattanooga Times Free Press and regional Georgia outlets provide the most detail about local actors actively preparing to run, naming Christian Hurd’s exploratory committee and reporting that Star Black is running in the Republican primary; they treat these as the leading early Republican hopefuls rather than a final, exhaustive list of official filings [1]. Atlanta News First coverage concentrates on the timing of the 2026 primary and Greene’s prior primary history, again without a full candidate roster [8] [9].
5. What the law and election mechanics mean for timing of “official” candidacies
Several sources explain that Greene’s resignation triggers a special election and that the state’s normal May 19, 2026 primary schedule will be relevant for the regular midterm cycle, complicating when and how candidates formally file for the remainder of Greene’s term versus the 2026 general election [8] [9] [2]. This procedural backdrop helps explain why many reports capture exploratory committees and “running” claims before federal FEC or secretary-of-state filings appear in national databases [8] [10].
6. What’s missing or uncertain in current reporting
None of the cited articles provide a definitive, comprehensive list of officially declared 2026 candidates for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat; available sources do not mention a completed slate of FEC-filed candidacies beyond exploratory activity and local claims [1] [2]. Major outlets instead concentrate on the political consequences of Greene’s resignation, Trump’s role in encouraging challengers, and the likely special election timetable [11] [3].
7. How to track authoritative candidate declarations next
To confirm who has “officially declared” (filed with the FEC or Georgia authorities), reporters and voters should check the Federal Election Commission candidate pages and Georgia’s state filings once updated; current reporting in this set points readers to exploratory committees and local announcements as the earliest indicators that a campaign is forming [12] [1]. For now, the most concrete names in coverage are Christian Hurd and Star Black — described as exploratory or running locally — but the field could expand rapidly given Trump’s stated openness to endorse challengers [1] [5].
If you want, I can pull the latest FEC/Georgia filings and local election-office notices to produce a definitive list of officially filed candidates once those records are available.