Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan urged his fellow Republicans to vote against the party’s presumptive presidential standard-bearer, Donald Trump, and support President Biden instead.
Duncan, 49, who was in office during Trump’s 2020 election machinations in the Peach State, expressed deep dismay at the coalition of top Republicans around Trump, 77.
“This mentality is completely wrong,” he wrote Monday in an opinion piece for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “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. »
The former lieutenant governor emphasized his desire to see the Republican Party block majorities in both houses of Congress in order to scuttle Biden’s second-term agenda.
He then addressed familiar grievances against Trump, such as the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, election denialism, and his “conduct and character.”
“I get it. No one likes paying higher taxes, and these protests are troubling,” Duncan wrote. “Trump has shown us who he is. We should believe him. To think he’s going to change at 77 is more than improbable.
Since coming to power in the Republican Party, Trump has managed to defeat many critics of the Republican Party and even convince many of them.
Trump has taken shots at Duncan in the past and called him a “failed” lieutenant governor last year. In August 2023, Trump suggested that Duncan should not testify until the Fulton County inquest investigating the 2020 election.
The 45th president now faces 10 counts in Fulton County for alleged tampering with Georgia’s 2020 election. He has denied any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.
Duncan appeared to be flirting with No Labels, a group that was exploring the possibility of recruiting a candidate outside the duopoly to compete with Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.
Ultimately, he declined the invitation to lead the party and No Labels has since announced it will not crown a standard bearer for the 2024 cycle.
Duncan also made waves in 2022 when he announced he would not vote for either incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) or former Republican football star Herschel Walker in the midterm elections.
Despite his penchant for going against convention, Duncan describes himself as a true Republican.
“Unlike Trump, I have belonged to the GOP my whole life. Next November, I’m voting for an honest person with whom I disagree on policy toward a criminal defendant without a moral compass,” he added.
The Post has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
The Biden-Harris campaign wasted no time promoting Duncan’s op-ed, praising him and emphasizing that the president welcomes disaffected Republicans into his camp.
“Our campaign welcomes and actively reaches out to Americans like Geoff Duncan, who put their country and their concern to protect our democracy ahead of their blind loyalty to Donald Trump and his self-centered campaign of vengeance and retribution,” the spokesperson said. -campaign spokesperson, James Singer.
” The lieutenant. Governor Duncan and those who share his values of preserving American democracy, upholding the rule of law, treating each other with decency, dignity and respect, and seeking common ground have their place in the President Biden’s vision for America.
New York Post
