Clayton Fuller, a former assistant district attorney for Georgia's Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, has announced he will run for the Republican nomination for Congress for Georgia's 14th Congressional District.
Fuller is a native North Georgian and lives on Lookout Mountain with his wife Kate and their two young children.
"I'm looking forward to traveling around our district and putting myself forward to my neighbors as a candidate for Congress," Fuller said in a news release. "As a conservative Republican, I'll help President Trump stop illegal immigration, defend our 2nd Amendment rights, combat the opioid epidemic, and protect the unborn. Most importantly, I want to make sure our communities have a fighter in Congress."
Fuller is the second person to officially announce their candidacy for the 14th Congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger.
Clayton Fuller / Staff photo by C.B. SchmelterGraves, the senior Republican in Georgia's House delegation, said in December he will not stand for re-election in 2020, triggering an unexpected battle to represent the deeply conservative district.
In a letter to constituents, he said he decided against another term because he was "entering a new season in life."
The 14th congressional district includes Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, and parts of Pickens, Polk, Walker and Whitfield counties.
In 2018, Fuller was appointed by President Donald Trump as a White House Fellow. The highly selective program is one of the nation's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service.
Fuller worked and assisted Karen Pence's campaign to "elevate, encourage, and thank" military spouses throughout the nation. The placement was based on Fuller's military experience as a major and a deputy staff judge advocate in a reserve force of the U.S. Air Force, where his responsibilities included advising commanders on difficult ethical issues and helping them maintain discipline and order.
Fuller served in the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate general officer and still holds an advising role in the Air National Guard.
He joins Alpharetta businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, the other Republican hopeful. Greene switched from challenging U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in the District 6 race to run for Graves' seat.
Georgia's District 1 Rep. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, told the Times Free Press that he is strongly considering running for Georgia's 14th Congressional House seat in 2020, but he has yet to make it official.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.