Former Georgia Lt. Gov Leaves The GOP And Joins The Democratic Party

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is officially switching parties, leaving the GOP for the Democrats. He claims the Republican Party has lost its way and says the move has been a long time coming.

Key Facts:

Geoff Duncan, Georgia’s Lt. Governor from 2019 to 2023, has joined the Democratic Party.
Duncan says his political shift began before Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
He criticized GOP stances on health care, gun policy, immigration, and aid to the poor.
The Georgia GOP expelled him in 2024 for backing Biden and allegedly undermining Republican candidates.
Duncan wrote an op-ed explaining his decision and has spoken at a Democratic National Convention.

The Rest of The Story:

In a public break from his former party, ex-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announced he’s now a Democrat. His op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution paints a picture of growing disillusionment with the GOP. While he insists the transformation began before 2020, Duncan became a vocal critic of Trump’s attempts to challenge the election results in Georgia.

Duncan argues that his shift is rooted in a moral and policy-based conflict. “There’s no date on a calendar or line in the sand that points to the exact moment… but it has,” he wrote. He claims the GOP’s approach to issues like Medicaid expansion, gun safety, and immigration fails to “love thy neighbor”—a theme he repeatedly emphasizes.

He said working families without health insurance are often blamed by Republicans for not having the right job. He also attacked GOP-backed spending cuts, arguing they damage Medicaid and food assistance programs that help children. On immigration, Duncan criticized Trump-era deportation policies and called for a path to citizenship for non-felon migrants.

The Georgia GOP expelled Duncan earlier this year, citing his public support for President Biden and, later, Vice President Kamala Harris. He had also been accused of actively undermining GOP candidates like Burt Jones and Herschel Walker. Duncan capped his break with the party by speaking at the Democratic National Convention.

Commentary:

Geoff Duncan’s departure isn’t just a headline—it’s a symbol of what’s been wrong in Georgia politics for years. He represents the wing of the Republican Party that cozied up to Democrats while pretending to wear red. His exit just confirms what many voters already suspected: he was never fully on board with the conservative agenda.

For a decade, Georgia’s GOP has wrestled with internal conflict. As Democrats gained ground in metro areas, moderates like Duncan tried to pull the party left, diluting its core values. It backfired. Georgia nearly turned blue, and GOP credibility suffered in the process.

Now, the tide appears to be turning. True conservatives are rebuilding the party from the ground up, focusing on issues that matter to working families—border security, lower taxes, election integrity, and protecting children. There’s no room for fair-weather Republicans like Duncan anymore.

His criticism of Medicaid reform and support for red-flag gun laws only proves how far he’s drifted. He sounds more like a DC bureaucrat than a Georgia conservative. That may play well with Democrats, but it won’t resonate with rural voters or the GOP base.

Duncan’s open support for Biden and Harris is the final straw. Endorsing the party pushing open borders, high inflation, and radical social policy? That’s not being principled—it’s being disloyal.

Some may praise Duncan for “following his conscience.” But let’s call it what it is: a calculated move toward relevance in a party where he thinks he’ll get a pat on the back. If the Georgia GOP is smart, they’ll learn from this and keep their focus on bold, unapologetic leadership.

In the end, Duncan didn’t just leave the GOP. The GOP left him behind—because he stopped representing the people who elected him.

The Bottom Line:

Geoff Duncan’s switch to the Democratic Party marks the end of a long, public drift away from Republican priorities. His criticisms of conservative policy explain why the GOP base stopped trusting him. As Georgia returns to its conservative foundation, party loyalty will mean more than just wearing the right jersey.

Duncan chose his side. Voters will likely say: don’t let the door hit you on the way out.