Former Republican Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has officially switched to the Democratic Party. The move follows years of tension between the Forsyth County Republican and GOP leadership after he publicly opposed President Donald Trump over efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
In 2021, Duncan announced he would not seek a second term as lieutenant governor under Brian Kemp and instead signaled interest in reshaping the party through a group he co-founded known as GOP 2.0, Access WDUN reported.
In 2024, Duncan was reported to be a leading contender for a presidential ticket backed by the centrist organization No Labels. He later ruled out a White House bid.
Duncan said this week he is now joining the Democratic Party after serving roughly a decade as a Republican state representative and lieutenant governor.
The Georgia GOP announced on X in January that Duncan had received a formal expulsion from the party.
“Geoff Duncan having been formally expelled, we ask that you refer to him as ‘expelled Republican Geoff Duncan’ or ‘ousted Republican Geoff Duncan’ when you go to him for quotes trashing President Trump and the Republican Party,” the party wrote Jan. 6.
Duncan responded the same day.
“Hard to believe this is a good use of time for a party that’s only got a limited amount of time to figure out mass deportations, world peace, and global tariffs,” he wrote on X.
Duncan has written opinion columns for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since early 2024.
Recent columns have included “Even for Republicans, Harris is the logical step,” “Is Trump running a Ponzi scheme or a country?” and “From Republican lt. governor to Democrat: Loving my neighbor is easier now,” where he announced his party switch.
In an X post linking to the column, Duncan said his journey toward becoming a Democrat began “well before Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in Georgia.”
He also cited his Christian faith and described what he called a “daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican.”
Duncan served as lieutenant governor from 2018 until early 2023, when Burt Jones succeeded him.
He has not announced his next political move.
The party switch comes as Georgia’s gubernatorial primaries approach.
Recent polling shows a divided Republican field and a clear front runner on the Democratic side.
Multiple Democratic primary surveys show former Keisha Lance Bottoms leading her closest rival, Mike Thurmond.
In one University of Georgia poll, Bottoms held 40 percent support compared with 11 percent for Thurmond.
Other surveys conducted last fall showed similar double digit margins.
The same polling showed Duncan at 5 percent, followed by Jason Esteves at 3 percent, Derrick Jackson at 1 percent and Ruwa Romman at 1 percent, with 39 percent undecided or supporting another candidate.
Republican polling shows no clear dominant candidate.
A coefficient survey conducted Feb. 8 and 9 showed Rick Jackson at 24 percent, followed by Jones at 16 percent and Brad Raffensperger at 9 percent.
Chris Carr registered 3 percent in that poll, with 48 percent selecting another candidate or undecided.
A separate Cygnal survey conducted Feb. 5 and 6 showed Jones at 22 percent and Jackson at 16 percent.
An earlier University of Georgia poll showed Jones at 22 percent and Raffensperger at 15 percent.
Across multiple surveys, Jackson and Jones have consistently posted the strongest numbers among Republican voters, though margins vary by pollster.