Ex-Georgia Lieutenant Governor Joins Dem Party

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has joined the Democratic Party after falling out with the GOP, saying the switch has been coming for a while.

Duncan, in an op-ed published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday, said his journey to becoming a Democrat began well before President Trump tried to “steal” the 2020 presidential election, an effort Duncan denounced at the time.

“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 said. “My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican.”

Duncan outlined various policy issues that contributed to his decision to make the switch, attacking Republicans for their handling of health care, Medicaid, support for poor people, gun control and immigration.

The former lieutenant governor said his time serving in elected office taught him the best way to “love my neighbor” is through public policy.

He added that Republicans have argued for decades that the solution to not having health insurance is to get a job, but most uninsured Georgians live in working households but don’t have insurance because of issues with affordability or eligibility.

“So, the reality is they have a job, just the wrong job,” Duncan wrote. “One that doesn’t offer health insurance or generate enough spare money each month to afford their own health insurance plan.”

He said Trump’s tax and spending bill will leave Medicaid funding “in shambles” with hundreds of billions of dollars slashed from the program. He also criticized the legislation’s cuts to funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as food stamps. and the effect it will have on preventing children from being hungry at school.

Duncan cited polls showing widespread support for gun control measures like universal background checks and red flag laws and slammed the Trump administration’s immigration policies that he said “have turned into a lesson on how not to love your neighbor.”

He also argued that immigration policy should focus on securing the border, deporting those in the country illegally who have committed felonies and creating a path to citizenship for the others.

Duncan’s decision comes months after the Georgia Republican Party expelled him from the party following his endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. He also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August in support of Harris.

The former Georgia state lawmaker has been a sharp critic of Trump and the GOP more broadly particularly since the president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. He chose not to run for reelection as lieutenant governor in 2022.

“The list of reasons why I’m now a Democrat continues to grow,” Duncan concluded. “Most importantly, my decision puts me in the best possible position each day to love my neighbor.”

He is just one of a few former officials who have switched from Republican to Democrat in recent months, including former Reps. Joe Walsh (Ill.) and David Jolly (Fla.).