Former Republican Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, who fought against President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and later endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, is running as a Democrat for Governor of Georgia.
As seen below on MSNOW, Duncan responded to a question about his decision to switch parties. Duncan said, “I didn’t lose my mind, I found my heart as a Democrat.”
The gubernatorial candidate added, “Yes, I grew tired of Donald Trump, I also grew tired of failed policies. Not expanding Medicaid was a mistake. Not passing common sense gun legislation was a mistake.”
Everywhere I go people ask me why I decided to leave the Republican Party and run for governor as a Democrat.
The answer is simple. I found my heart. pic.twitter.com/L8Vq07iNos
— Geoff Duncan (@GeoffDuncanGA) February 23, 2026
Note: Recent polls have lifelong Democrat and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as the Democratic frontrunner for Governor of Georgia in the 2026 election.
The Democratic nominee will likely face either Trump-endorsed GOP candidate Burt Jones, who succeeded Duncan as Lt. Governor of Georgia in 2023, or billionaire Rick Jackson, CEO Of Jackson Healthcare, who launched his Republican gubernatorial campaign on February 3 with a $50 million self-funded ad campaign.
Rick Jackson, a wealthy businessman running for Georgia governor, is suing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
He says Jones can allegedly use a special “leadership committee” to raise unlimited campaign money, which other candidates aren’t allowed to do, giving him an unfair advantage. pic.twitter.com/tkpuAmgc0I
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) February 13, 2026
Last week, Jackson (who said “Trump’s success inspired me to do this for Georgia”) filed a lawsuit against Jones “in an attempt to prevent Jones from using funds in his leadership committee for his gubernatorial campaign.”
A federal judge temporarily blocked Jones’ leadership committee “from spending further money and required it to cancel reserved media buys amid an ongoing legal challenge,” the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports.
Jackson’s bid is causing a Republican endorsement schism. On Tuesday, MAGA-aligned former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) backed Jackson, and wrote on social media that “he will be a great governor of Georgia and brings compassion and business experience to the race.”
[Note: Georgia hasn’t had a Democratic governor since Roy Barnes, who lost his re-election bid in 2003 to Sonny Perdue, who in 2017 became U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during President Trump’s first administration.]
A new AJC poll shows @KeishaBottoms’ momentum, leading the GA Governor Democratic primary with 40% support!
Our win in the PSC election yesterday proves Georgia voters are ready for change. We have 195 days to turn this lead into victory. pic.twitter.com/TlADJd7pQU
— Keisha For Georgia (@KeishaForGA) November 5, 2025