Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio endorsed Geoff Duncan’s bid for lieutenant governor on Thursday, calling the former state representative a “no-strings-attached conservative.”

The onetime GOP presidential candidate touted Duncan for making “no apologies for sticking to his conservative principles, voting no on over $1 billion of tax increases and championing tough issues like access to rural health care.”

Duncan, a Cumming businessman, is facing off against Georgia Senate President pro tempore David Shafer and former state Sen. Rick Jeffares in the Republican contest for Georgia’s No. 2 elected position.

Jeffares on Friday hit back with a Facebook post highlighting Rubio’s past comments on the Florida-Georgia-Alabama water wars. It included a photoshopped picture of the senator and his “sidekick” Duncan on an old West-style “wanted” poster for “selling out Georgia water.”

Rubio said Duncan’s opponents “are quick to jeopardize good policy for personal gain.”

Shafer has locked up a range of endorsements from political heavy-hitters, including former GOP presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and mega-donor Bernie Marcus. Duncan previously earned the support of former Coca-Cola Enterprises executive John Brock.

recent GOP survey found the race to replace Casey Cagle, who is running for governor, is anything but settled. The private poll found that more than two-thirds of respondents had not made up their minds about whom to support.

Auto executive Sarah Riggs Amico, a political newbie, is running on the Democratic side of the race. Former state Sen. Vincent Fort is also considering a bid.

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Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seen here in a file photo from Nov. 14, 2024, is conducting a statewide audit of voter registrations targeting registrations at businesses and P.O. boxes for possible cancelation. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com