Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan hinted at a possible run for higher office as a Democrat. (Getty Images)
Notable names already in the race for governor for the 2026 election include Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta who later worked in the Biden administration, and – on the Republican side – current Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and state Attorney General Chris Carr.
In an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published Tuesday, Duncan wrote that his path to becoming a Democrat had been years in the making, starting before President Donald Trump attempted to overturn his loss to former President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
"My journey to becoming a Democrat started well before Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in Georgia," Duncan wrote in the newspaper.
"There’s no date on a calendar or line in the sand that points to the exact moment in time my political heart changed, but it has," he continued. "My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican."
Trump responded to Duncan's party switch by saying the former lieutenant governor is a "total loser" who is no longer wanted in the Republican Party.
"Failed former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, of Georgia, is a total loser," Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. "Was never able to get anything done, all he ever did was complain. We didn’t want him in the Republican Party any longer, so I’m told he became a Democrat. Good riddance Geoff. You don’t even have a chance!!!"
Duncan pointed to several policy issues that played a part in his decision to change parties, criticizing Republicans for their handling of issues such as health care, Medicaid, gun safety, immigration and how to help poor people.
He wrote that his time in office taught him the best way to "love my neighbor" is through public policy. Before his time as lieutenant governor, he served in the Georgia House from 2013 until 2017. He opted not to run for re-election as lieutenant governor in 2022.
GEORGIA GOP EXPELS FORMER LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN FROM PARTY, CITING ALLEGED DISLOYALTY
The Georgia Republican Party expelled Duncan from the party earlier this year over alleged disloyalty. (Ben Hendren/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He also pointed to polls showing support for gun control measures such as universal background checks and red-flag laws.
The ex-Republican also criticized the Trump administration's mass deportation immigration policies that he said "have turned into a lesson on how not to love your neighbor." He said that immigration policy should focus on securing the border, deporting those in the country illegally who have committed felonies, but that a path to citizenship should be created for other migrants in the U.S.
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"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."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-georgia-lt-gov-geoff-duncan-floats-possible-run-office-after-switching-democratic-party