Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican turned Democrat, says he will take on President Donald Trump if he wins election next year as governor in the key southeastern battleground state.
Duncan on Tuesday denounced Trump as he declared his candidacy, joining an increasingly crowded field in the Democratic Party primary.
"I will stand up to Trump and his yes men in our state while bringing down the costs of childcare, health care, and housing so every Georgia family is in the best position possible," Duncan pledged as he launched his campaign.
Duncan, a former healthcare executive and minor league baseball player, served in Georgia's legislature for four years before running and winning election as lieutenant governor in 2018. He decided against seeking re-election in 2022.
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After leaving office, Duncan - who was a vocal GOP critic of Trump's repeated efforts to reverse his razor-thin November 2020 election defeat in battleground Georgia to former President Joe Biden - worked towards what he said was "healing and rebuilding a Republican Party that is damaged but not destroyed."
Duncan endorsed Biden in the 2024 presidential race and later supported then-Vice President Kamala Harris after she replaced Biden at the top of the Democrats' 2024 ticket. Duncan spoke in a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last summer.
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The Georgia Republican Party expelled him from the GOP earlier this year.
Duncan, in a campaign launch video, spotlighted his clashes with Trump, saying he "never wavered in taking on Trump. So Georgia Republicans threw me out of their party. I was leaving anyway."
"Now I'm running for governor as a proud Democrat. To focus on what matters most to Georgians," he added.
Duncan joins a Democratic primary field that already includes former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond and former State Sen. Jason Esteves.
In the Republican primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones landed Trump's endorsement as he battles state Attorney General Chris Carr.
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The winner of next year's general election will succeed popular term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.
After Duncan switched parties in August, Trump took to social media to call him "a total loser."
The president charged that Duncan was "never able to get anything done, all he ever did was complain. We didn't want him in the Republican Party any longer, so I'm told he became a Democrat. Good riddance Geoff. You don't even have a chance!!!"
Asked about the criticisms, Duncan said in a Fox News Digital interview, "I think he's making my case for me that the Republican Party no longer wants to love their neighbor. There's nothing in that tweet or Truth Social post or whatever that shows any sort of attitude that I want to be a part of."
Duncan, taking aim at Trump, added, "I hope he figures out how to run this country better than he is now for the next couple of years. But I'm proud to not be a Republican, especially with him at the tip of the spear."
