ATLANTA (WJBF) – The race for Georgia’s next governor is officially underway — and one of the state’s most familiar political figures is making headlines for switching sides.
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, once a Republican who served under Gov. Brian Kemp, announced his bid for governor as a Democrat on Tuesday. If elected, he would be the first Democrat to hold the office in nearly three decades.
Duncan, who represented Cumming in the state House from 2013 to 2017 before serving as lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023, has been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump. He says his campaign will focus on consensus-building and moving the state beyond partisan divides.
“We’ve got to heal as a country, and it starts with leaders leading by example,” Duncan said. “I’m a different kind of candidate, one who can win Democrats, Independents, and disgusted Republicans.”
Duncan’s platform includes expanding Medicaid, lowering child care costs, increasing affordable housing and enacting stricter gun laws, including universal background checks and red flag laws.
He also pointed to his record of working across the aisle on rural hospitals, hate crimes legislation, and state budgets.
Duncan argued that Georgia Republicans “threw him out of their party,” but said he is well-positioned to win support across political lines.
On the Republican side, Trump has endorsed current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Duncan faces a crowded Democratic field that includes former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former State Senator Jason Esteves, former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, Derrick Jackson, and Olu Brown.
The 2026 election could be one of Georgia’s most competitive races in years, with control of the Governor’s Mansion once again in the national spotlight.
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