A news report broke Friday claiming former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan is under consideration by the No Labels party to be its presidential candidate in November.
Duncan is the current top pick by No Labels to lead a “unity” presidential ticket, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Already on the ballot in at least 16 states, No Labels claims to be a moderate political party that will offer a presidential candidate for Americans upset with the likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Potentially elucidating what No Labels seeks in a moderate candidate, the report notes that Duncan, who left office in January 2023 following the election of Lt. Governor Burt Jones, “was one of the first” elected Republicans to reject Trump’s claims about fraud altering the 2020 election results.
The report also notes Duncan’s defense of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger against allies of the former president and Duncan’s formal break with Trump after the protests on January 6.
More recently, though not mentioned in the report, Duncan during a CNN appearance revealed he did not vote for either the Republican nor Democratic candidate in the 2022 race for U.S. Senate in Georgia.
“I showed up to vote this morning. I was one of those folks who got in line and spent about an hour waiting. And you know, it was the most disappointing ballot I’ve ever stared at my entire life since I started voting. You know, I had two candidates that I just couldn’t find anything that made sense for me to put my vote behind and so I walked out of that ballot box, showing up to vote, but not voting for either one of them,” Duncan told the outlet in December 2022.
Still, the Journal reported citing individuals close to the No Labels nominating discussions, members of the party are concerned a failure to secure a “prominent” or “high-profile” candidate “could drain enthusiasm among delegates for moving forward with an independent ticket.”
Ostensibly to that end, the report claims Governor Brian Kemp was also approached by No Labels about launching a third party presidential bid under its banner, but Kemp declined.
The claim No Labels now has a front runner for its nomination nominee follows reports the party’s donors are growing increasingly skeptical about the viability of a third party candidate even as No Labels continues searching for a nominee despite its window of opportunity closing rapidly.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Geoff Duncan” by Jeff Duncan and “The White House” is by The White House.
