Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, a constant critic of President Trump, announced via a statement on Twitter on Monday that he will not seek a second term.
“Today, I am announcing that I will not be seeking reelection for a second term as Lieutenant Governor. It is truly an honor to serve as Lt. Governor and I have no intention of slowing down on my policy over politics platform,” the statement read.
Duncan faced long odds at a chance for re-election. His approval rating among Georgia Republicans has plummeted in the past 4 months — as he has remained a constant critic of President Donald Trump and his supporters. Several prominent Georgia Republicans were openly considering primary challenges to Duncan.
Throughout the course of Georgia’s legislative session, Duncan was hesitant to support laws to strengthen the integrity of the state’s elections. The new law was widely supported by Republicans, and President Trump urged the Georgia lawmakers to go even farther.
Instead of serving as Lt. Governor, Duncan pledged to turn his political efforts towards a “rebuild” of the Republican Party, calling the party “damaged.”
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Duncan said, “We’ve got work to do. You’d be hard-pressed to find any Republican who didn’t agree the party is broken. I want to be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.”
Duncan announced he would create a new group known as “GOP 2.0.” The group will highlight tone and language in politics.
Many critics argue that this is another attempt to remove President Trump and his supporters from the Republican Party. Previous attempts at this effort, such as The Lincoln Project, have yet to be successful. Instead, Trump received almost 75 million votes — the most of any sitting U.S. president.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Geoff Duncan” by Geoff Duncan.
Good riddance. He can run as what he is. A Democrat.