The former lieutenant governor of Georgia says he is considering a run for higher office as a Democrat after leaving the Republican Party, citing policy disagreements and a political shift he says has been years in the making.
Geoff Duncan, who served as Georgia’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023 as a Republican, is weighing a bid for higher office after switching to the Democratic Party. He told WSB-TV a decision on his political future could come “in the next few weeks or months.”
“I think Georgians want people who can speak truth to power in the middle,” Duncan remarked. Duncan has not indicated which role he might pursue; some expect he could run for governor in 2026, when Kemp’s tenure ends due to term limits.
Duncan held a seat in the Georgia House from 2013 to 2017. Notable candidates already in the race for governor include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served in the Biden administration, and Republicans Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and state Attorney General Chris Carr.
In an op-ed published Tuesday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Duncan wrote that his transition to the Democrat Party began before President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He cited differences with the GOP over health care, Medicaid expansion, gun control measures, immigration policy, and programs for low-income families.
“My journey to becoming a Democrat started well before Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in Georgia,” Duncan explained. “My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican.”
Duncan criticized recent cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as mass deportation policies under the Trump administration. He expressed support for securing the border, deporting individuals convicted of felonies, and providing a path to citizenship for other undocumented immigrants.
His shift comes after the Georgia Republican Party expelled him earlier this year, citing his endorsement of President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, his later endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, and his opposition to certain GOP candidates, including Jones and 2022 Senate nominee Herschel Walker. Duncan also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of Harris.
Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon responded to the announcement by telling WSB-TV, “Geoff Duncan has finally said out loud what any person with eyes has known for years: He is a Democrat.”
Trump reacted on Truth Social, calling Duncan a “total loser” and saying, “We didn’t want him in the Republican Party any longer, so I’m told he became a Democrat. Good riddance Geoff.”
Duncan, a frequent critic of Trump since January 6, 2021, has previously called for the GOP to “move on” from the president, describing him in interviews as “a horrible human being” and saying the party must “purge” itself of “Trumpism”.
He stated that his time in office taught him that public policy is the best way to “love your neighbor,” pointing to his work on Georgia’s rural hospital tax credit program and bipartisan hate crimes legislation. “The list of reasons why I’m now a Democrat continues to grow,” Duncan wrote. “Most importantly, my decision puts me in the best possible position each day to love my neighbor.”
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