Geoff Duncan weighs whether to run for Georgia governor - as a Democrat

Former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is weighing a run for higher office as a Democrat. But is the party ready for him?

In a conversation with the “Politically Georgia” podcast airing today, Duncan, an AJC contributing opinion columnist, expressed his ongoing exasperation over the direction of the Republican Party under President Donald Trump. He called the “big, beautiful” bill moving through the Senate this week “an abomination of any sort of conservative values.”

And he expressed frustration with the field running for Georgia governor so far from both parties. That includes two Republicans, Attorney General Chris Carr and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to announce his campaign later this summer, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and state Sen. Jason Esteves for the Democrats.

“From the right, I’ve got everybody embracing Donald Trump and that’s just an unacceptable strategy for me for a number of reasons,” he said of the 2026 field. “And on the left, I just personally don’t believe Mayor Bottoms is positioned well to beat a Republican.”

Duncan has been the subject of wide speculation as a potential candidate for governor. Asked if he’s considering a run, he said, “I’ve certainly heard the rumor. And, I’m certainly fielding phone calls from folks across the state that are asking the same question.”

He noted he’s getting calls from people across the political spectrum, but that his days as a GOP candidate are likely over.

“I’m certainly not going to run as a Republican. I’ve given up on them as much as they’ve given up on me,” he said.

Credit: AJC file photo

Credit: AJC file photo

The former lieutenant governor’s break with the GOP was so thorough after Trump tried to reverse the results of the 2020 elections that Duncan endorsed former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and spoke at the Democratic National Convention last year.

More recently, he has fielded invitations from groups around the state to talk politics, including a recent gathering of moderate Democrats at Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta. He has also floated the idea of a “Main Street Democrat,” which he said would focus on affordability and economic concerns of voters.

Duncan ruled out an independent run for governor, citing the logistical challenges of getting on a statewide ballot. But he is open to running as a Democrat.

“If given the opportunity to be taken seriously by the Democrats and have an opportunity to shift the platform, I’d certainly think about it,” he said.

Duncan added that it’s too early to say exactly what his plans are. Even if he is open to running as a Democrat, there is no guarantee Georgia Democrats would be interested in voting for him.

Democratic state Rep. David Wilkerson of Powder Springs put it this way: “It’s unfortunate for Duncan that the Republican party has moved so far to the right. Maybe in another time, Duncan could switch and be successful. However, it would be tough for anyone who has been so closely tied to the GOP brand to win a 2026 Democratic primary.”

Things to know

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Good morning! Some 340 new laws passed during the 2025 state legislative session and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp officially go into effect today. They range from the controversial (a competition ban on transgender athletes) to the mundane (local government tax changes) to the who-thought-of-that (authorizing “pink blaze” hunting garments). The AJC’s David Wickert and Michelle Baruchman have the recaps. We can’t wait (actually, yes we can) for the start of the 2026 General Assembly session to see what’s next on lawmakers’ minds.

Here are three other things to know today:

Senate Slog

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Around 9 a.m. Monday, the U.S. Senate began voting on a series of amendments to President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill that would cut taxes, increase national defense and immigration enforcement funding and slash federal spending on safety net programs.

Those votes continued throughout the day and into the night and, as of this publishing, the Senate vote-a-rama was still underway. When it ends, the Senate is expected to take a final vote on the bill.

But much remains in flux. In addition to the amendments, most of which are proposed by Democrats and are being voted down along party lines, there is other language that needs the parliamentarian’s approval. And there are plenty of Republicans from both chambers who are asking for changes: some who want deeper spending cuts and others who want to mitigate the impacts on Medicaid and clean energy programs.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is raising the alarm. The Georgia Democrat thinks the bill is an “unmitigated catastrophe” for his state, given cuts to health care coverage as well as to green energy tax credits that could affect many of Georgia’s newest manufacturers and their suppliers.

Ossoff also said he has heard privately from Republican senators who fear the political fallout if the bill passes.

“Republicans are telling me privately they know this is a political disaster for themselves,” he said, “but they’re too deep to turn back.”

Republicans hold a three-member majority in the Senate — plus Vice President JD Vance, who would cast a tie-breaking vote if needed — making the bill’s passage likely. Only two Republicans, Kentucky’s Rand Paul and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, voted with Democrats in a failed attempt to block the bill in a procedural motion over the weekend.

Medicaid mess

A prominent health care organization is criticizing the state Department of Community Health’s decision to shift Georgia Medicaid contracts to new insurers.

The Georgia State Medical Association, an influential coalition of Black physicians, warned in a social media post that it’s “gravely concerned that this transition will disrupt patient-provider relationships, fragment continuity of care” and “force patients to travel long distances to access in-network services.”

The group added that the result will be “confusion, coverage lapses and avoidable delays in care, with potentially life-threatening consequences.”

Republican election boards

A DeKalb County judge on Monday rejected one Republican Party appointment to the county election board but accepted two others.

The judge’s decision comes after the Republican Party nominated four election skeptics to positions on the DeKalb County and Fulton County election boards, seeking to give them authority over local elections and certification of results.

Superior Court Chief Judge Shondeana Morris approved the Republican Party’s appointments of Gail Lee, who has filed challenges against the eligibility of voter registrations, and Travis Bowden, senior adviser to the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.

Morris previously rejected the Republican Party’s nomination of Bill Henderson, who sued over the DeKalb election board’s policy not to consider voter eligibility challenges within 90 days of an election, saying his litigation could create a conflict on the board.

“I do not believe that appointing Mr. Henderson to the board would further the goals of ensuring that elections are credible and trustworthy in the eyes of the public,” Morris wrote in a letter to DeKalb Elections Director Keisha Smith last Thursday. “Rather, I am concerned that his appointment would do the opposite.”

Meanwhile in Fulton County, the Republican Party recently filed a lawsuit contesting the rejection of its nominees to the county election board. They are Jason Frazier, who has filed numerous voter eligibility challenges in the past, and incumbent Julie Adams, who voted against certifying last year’s primary election.

Election audit

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The audit results are in and this month’s primary election for the Public Service Commission passed.

The manual review of 7,110 ballots across Georgia found similar results as the machine count, with a difference of just two ballots.

The hand-count audit showed 5,499 votes for Republican incumbent Tim Echols in his race against challenger Lee Muns. The machine count showed two fewer votes for Echols, 5,497. About 215,000 voters participated in the primary, a 2.5% turnout.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office said the difference is within the margin of error for an audit and was likely caused by human error.

“Georgia’s system works,” Raffensperger said. “This audit shows that Georgia leads the nation in free, fair and fast election results.”

While the audit is done, the PSC race is far from over.

A runoff in the Democratic primary is scheduled for July 15 between Keisha Sean Waites and Peter Hubbard, with the winner facing Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson in November. Echols will face Democrat Alicia Johnson in the general election.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan joins the show to discuss his latest AJC column on voters who supported President Donald Trump.

Then, AJC government reporter Michelle Baruchman breaks down the new Georgia laws taking effect July 1, from in vitro fertilization protections to voter ID rules and the official status of cornbread.

You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Today in Washington

Shoutouts

Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC

Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC

Accolade:

Author and former DeKalb County CEO Michael L. Thurmond has been named the 2025 finalist for the Georgia Author of the Year Award in the history category.

The recognition was announced Monday by the Georgia Writers Association for Thurmond’s latest book, “James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist.”

“I am honored and humbled that my work has been recognized by such a prestigious organization,” Thurmond said.

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., will stump in one of his would-be opponent’s backyards on July 12. Ossoff has announced a campaign rally in metro Savannah, where U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, grew up and launched his political career as a councilman in Pooler, a Savannah suburb.

Carter is one of several Republicans to announce a bid to unseat Ossoff, the first-term senator who defeated then-Sen. David Perdue in 2020.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.comtia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.

The Secretary of State’s office made a minor revision to Brad Raffensperger’s statement after publication. This story has been updated to reflect that change.

AJC reporter Adam Van Brimmer contributed to this report.