Geoff Duncan was the Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia from 2019 through 2023. In office at the time of the 2020 election, Duncan was one of several Georgia Republicans who did not go along with Donald Trump’s lies about winning that election, or “voter fraud” in Georgia, a stance that made him persona non grata in Trumpworld.
Duncan did not run for re-election and was later formally expelled by the state party. And now, Duncan has officially switched parties, while raising the possibility of running for office as a Democrat.
“I have been receiving phone calls and conversations and cups of coffee from Democrats, independents and even some common sense Republicans who are sick and tired of watching not only the direction of this party, but this country — encouraging me to look into seeking higher office. And it’s something I’ll seriously consider,” Duncan wrote in an op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
NEW: Former Republican Lt. Gov. of Georgia Geoff Duncan announces he’s leaving the GOP to join the Democrats:
“I have been receiving phone calls and conversations and cups of coffee from Democrats, independents and even some common sense Republicans who are sick and tired of… pic.twitter.com/Yf6C3uWmup
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 5, 2025
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Duncan also writes that he was on the path to a political conversion even before, as he describes it, “Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in Georgia.”
“My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican,” Duncan writes. Duncan had endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024.
The announcement comes as Georgia, formerly a solidly red state, has become more “purple” in recent years. Joe Biden won the state in 2020, with Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock winning both Senate runoffs the following January. However, Trump won the state in 2024, and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has won the last two elections for governor in the state. Ossoff is running for re-election in 2026 but Kemp opted to not challenge him.
What will Duncan’s party switch mean?
“It’s not going to have any impact on Trump followers, but on individuals who generally still think of themselves as Republicans, but have a hard time supporting for Donald Trump or providing support for, obviously, candidates closely associated with Donald Trump, they might then cue off of what Geoff Duncan has done here,” University of Georgia professor Charles Bullock told Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.
