Why did GA governor candidate Geoff Duncan switch parties? He answers in Columbus
A former Republican turned Democrat running for Georgia governor visited Columbus on Thursday and talked about his decision to switch parties.
Geoff Duncan, a former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, said his driving motivation every day when he wakes up is to figure out a way to love his neighbor. Duncan said the Democratic party gives him the best chance to do that.
Duncan was expelled from the Georgia Republican party in January after his endorsement of Kamala Harris last year, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.
“As I wake up and tried to solve problems as a Republican on my way out the door, it just became harder and harder and harder,” Duncan said during a news conference at the Collaboration Station. “Loving your neighbor does not have an asterisk mark next to it.”
Duncan said he thinks the Democratic Party in Georgia has a “unique opportunity” to represent the needs and deliver solutions to people who need it. He mentioned the prices of gas, groceries, healthcare and housing as some of these issues.
He called the partisan divide in the country “unfortunate” and “disgusting.”
“It’s disgusting to watch people point fingers at the other side and blame them when it’s everybody’s issue at this point,” Duncan said.
Duncan criticized President Donald Trump, saying Trump’s leadership style is “dangerous, it’s corrosive, it’s toxic, it’s a lot of things, but not effective. . . . We’ve got to have somebody willing to push back on Donald Trump, and certainly I’ve championed that.”
Duncan said he is the only Democrat in the primary “that can get Democrats, independents and disgusted Republicans to show up and vote” in the general election.
Geoff Duncan addresses his Republican history
When asked whether he believes his Republican past will affect his run for governor, Duncan said, “I actually think it’s going to help because I think it gives me more of an opportunity to put on display something that’s important to me, and that’s authenticity.”
As a Republican, Duncan said, he didn’t get some of the issues right, mentioning guns and abortion.
On the issue of guns, Duncan said, “I stand with the 90% of Americans that want to have universal background checks and red flag laws.”
Duncan said he is the father of three children and couldn’t imagine going to the bus stop and one of his kids not come home.
He said he was wrong on the issue of abortion and said women deserve the right to choose.
“I was wrong to think a room full of legislators knew better than millions of women, and I’ve listened to those women,” Duncan said.
On day one of his governorship, Duncan said, he would sign an executive order clarifying doctors can practice medicine with pregnant women without fear of prosecution. He said he also would introduce legislation that repeals the six-week ban and return the state to Roe v. Wade.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 12:13 PM.