Atlanta, Georgia – Former Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announced on Monday his intention to vote for President Joe Biden this November, declaring that former President Donald Trump “has disqualified himself through his conduct and character.”
“Unlike Trump, I’ve belonged to the GOP my entire life. This November, I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass,” Duncan wrote in an opinion piece published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In a conversation with CNN’s Laura Coates on Monday night, Duncan emphasized that Trump “is not a Republican” and “doesn’t represent our brand.”
“Donald Trump’s not a Republican. He doesn’t represent our brand. He doesn’t represent our future. He’s a horrible human being at this point, we’re watching that play out hour by hour in the courtroom,” Duncan said. “It’s time to move on. If we’re going to heal as a party and truly get back to doing the things that we should do – and that’s be conservative but not angry or crazy or liars – we should turn the page immediately from Donald Trump.”
In his op-ed, “Why I’m Voting for Biden and Other Republicans Should, Too,” Duncan highlighted the reasoning behind his decision not to support the GOP nominee. He acknowledged Biden’s age as a concern and admitted that “progressive policies aren’t popular among conservatives,” but he argued that a second Trump term would prevent the Republican Party from progressing.
“The GOP will never rebuild until we move on from the Trump era, leaving conservative (but not angry) Republicans like me no choice but to pull the lever for Biden,” Duncan wrote. “The alternative is another term of Trump, a man who has disqualified himself through his conduct and his character. The headlines are ablaze with his hush-money trial over allegations of improper record-keeping for payments to conceal an affair with an adult-film star.”
Duncan criticized his fellow Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, expressing disappointment over “an increasing number of Republicans falling in line behind former President Donald Trump.” He emphasized, “This mentality is absolutely wrong.” Duncan also took aim at Bill Barr, the former attorney general under Trump who has since become one of Trump’s harshest critics. He criticized Barr for stating that he would still vote for the presumptive Republican nominee over Biden in November.
“Ironically, having served as his attorney general until December 2020, Barr saw firsthand Trump’s ability to cause damage. Barr’s declaration that the Justice Department uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election infuriated his boss and set off a chain of events that ended with Jan. 6,” Duncan wrote.
“Trump has shown us who he is. We should believe him. To think he is going to change at the age of 77 is beyond improbable,” Duncan later added.
Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia prompted Geoff Duncan and other Georgia Republican election officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to challenge Trump’s fraud claims in the state. As the Georgia state Senate president during that time, Duncan watched as Rudy Giuliani and other Trump allies spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election to state lawmakers. He made it clear then that he did not “sanction” these actions.
Last year, Duncan testified before the Fulton County grand jury, which later indicted Trump and his associates for attempting to overturn the election. Trump maintains his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges. After the 2020 election, Duncan expressed his disgust to CNN’s Jake Tapper over Trump’s attacks on Kemp and Raffensperger and highlighted the threats that elected officials in Georgia have faced as a result.
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“All of us in this position have got increased security around us and our families and it’s not American, it’s not what democracy is all about but it’s reality right now. So, we are going to continue to do our jobs. Gov. Kemp, Brad Raffensperger and myself all three voted and campaigned for the president but, unfortunately, he didn’t win the state of Georgia but it doesn’t change our job descriptions,” Duncan said.
In 2021, Duncan announced he would not run for reelection in 2022, explaining he would instead focus on reforming the GOP.
“We have to move on as Republicans, we have to, and this is our first step to it. … I think Georgians are going to vote against Donald Trump,” Duncan said on “Laura Coates Live.”
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