Latest news with #GeoffDuncan
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Georgia lieutenant governor joins Democratic Party
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has joined the Democratic Party after falling out with the GOP, saying the switch has been coming for a while. Duncan, in an op-ed published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday, said his journey to becoming a Democrat began well before President Trump tried to 'steal' the 2020 presidential election, an effort Duncan denounced at the time. 'There's no date on a calendar or line in the sand that points to the exact moment in time my political heart changed, but it has,' he said. 'My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican.' Duncan outlined various policy issues that contributed to his decision to make the switch, attacking Republicans for their handling of health care, Medicaid, support for poor people, gun control and immigration. The former lieutenant governor said his time serving in elected office taught him the best way to 'love my neighbor' is through public policy. He added that Republicans have argued for decades that the solution to not having health insurance is to get a job, but most uninsured Georgians live in working households but don't have insurance because of issues with affordability or eligibility. 'So, the reality is they have a job, just the wrong job,' Duncan wrote. 'One that doesn't offer health insurance or generate enough spare money each month to afford their own health insurance plan.' He said Trump's tax and spending bill will leave Medicaid funding 'in shambles' with hundreds of billions of dollars slashed from the program. He also criticized the legislation's cuts to funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as food stamps. and the effect it will have on preventing children from being hungry at school. Duncan cited polls showing widespread support for gun control measures like universal background checks and red flag laws and slammed the Trump administration's immigration policies that he said 'have turned into a lesson on how not to love your neighbor.' He also argued that immigration policy should focus on securing the border, deporting those in the country illegally who have committed felonies and creating a path to citizenship for the others. Duncan's decision comes months after the Georgia Republican Party expelled him from the party following his endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. He also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August in support of Harris. The former Georgia state lawmaker has been a sharp critic of Trump and the GOP more broadly particularly since the president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. He chose not to run for reelection as lieutenant governor in 2022. 'The list of reasons why I'm now a Democrat continues to grow,' Duncan concluded. 'Most importantly, my decision puts me in the best possible position each day to love my neighbor.' He is just one of a few former officials who have switched from Republican to Democrat in recent months, including former Reps. Joe Walsh (Ill.) and David Jolly (Fla.). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump rips Duncan over switch to Democratic Party: ‘Total loser'
President Trump ripped former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan for joining the Democratic party and falling out of the GOP, calling him a 'total loser' for making the switch. In an early Friday post on Truth Social, Trump said Duncan was no longer wanted in the GOP because all he did was complain. 'Failed former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, of Georgia, is a total loser. Was never able to get anything done, all he ever did was complain,' the president wrote. 'We didn't want him in the Republican Party any longer, so I'm told he became a Democrat.' He added, 'Good riddance Geoff. You don't even have a chance!!!' Duncan on Tuesday pushed an op-ed published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying the party switch has been coming for a while. The former lieutenant governor said his journey to becoming a Democrat began when Trump tried to 'steal' the 2020 presidential election, an effort the former lieutenant governor denounced at the time. He said his time serving in elected office taught him the best way to 'love my neighbor' is through public policy. Duncan, in his essay, called out Trump's signature tax and spending bill, which he argued would leave Medicaid funding 'in shambles.' He also criticized the legislation's cuts to funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the impact it will have on preventing children from being hungry at school. Additionally, he slammed the Trump administration's immigration policies that he argues, 'have turned into a lesson on how not to love your neighbor.' Duncan endorsed former Vice President Harris's campaign in the 2024 presidential election and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August. He was later expelled from the Georgia Republican Party. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump lashes out after (another) Republican joins Democratic Party: ‘Total loser!'
President Donald Trump lashed out at former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan after he joined the Democratic Party earlier this week. Duncan, who served as the GOP lieutenant governor of Georgia from 2019 to 2023, revealed in an op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he will be leaving the Republican Party and joining the Democrats. Duncan has been a fierce critic of the president since Trump falsely claimed that he won the 2020 election. Trump criticized Duncan in a scathing Truth Social post at about 1 a.m. on Friday. 'Failed former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, of Georgia, is a total loser. 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!!!' Trump wrote. Duncan, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of then-Vice President Kamala Harris last year, said in the op-ed that his 'journey to becoming a Democrat started well before Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in Georgia.' 'There's no date on a calendar or line in the sand that points to the exact moment in time my political heart changed, but it has,' he wrote. 'My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican.' He criticized the Republican Party for voting to slash Medicaid and implement more tax cuts as part of Trump's 'big beautiful bill' signed into law last month. He said that GOP is ignoring Americans' 'pleas for change' and also criticized his former party for making cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Duncan also took aim at Republicans' lack of support for commonsense gun laws and Trump's 'heartless' immigration raids. 'The list of reasons why I'm now a Democrat continues to grow. Most importantly, my decision puts me in the best possible position each day to love my neighbor,' he concluded. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump calls former Georgia Lt. Gov. 'total loser' for swapping from Republican to Democrat: 'Good riddance'
President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on Georgia's former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan swapping political parties after the state's GOP expelled him earlier this year for disloyalty to the party. Duncan, an open critic of the president in recent years, wrote an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday stating that he was joining the Democratic Party after serving as Georgia's lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023 as a Republican. Trump did not mince words in a Truth Social post early Friday morning, calling Duncan a "total loser" and telling him "good riddance." "Failed former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, of Georgia, is a total loser. 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," Trump wrote. "Good riddance Geoff. You don't even have a chance!!!" Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan Abandons Gop To Join Democratic Party Trump's recent post about Duncan is not the only time he has expressed dislike for the expelled Republican. Read On The Fox News App On Aug. 3, 2024, Trump called for Duncan, whom he described as a "bum," to be thrown out of the Georgia GOP in one of three posts that day knocking the former state leader. "He is a total lightweight, and went to work at a low salary for Fake News CNN. His sole function is to knock Donald J. Trump," Trump wrote, in part. "Georgia should throw this 'bum' out of the Party. He is unelectable and not respected by anyone, other than your lightweight Governor, Brian Kemp who, if it wasn't for me, would have never been Governor…." Georgia Gop Expels Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan From Party, Citing Alleged Disloyalty Duncan wrote in his op-ed that his decision to become a Democrat started brewing before Trump's response to his loss in the 2020 presidential election and the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He stated policy disagreements also impacted his decision to swap. "There's no date on a calendar or line in the sand that points to the exact moment in time my political heart changed, but it has," he continued. "My decision was centered around my daily struggle to love my neighbor, as a Republican." He was expelled from the Georgia Republican Party in January after he endorsed former President Joe Biden during his re-election campaign in 2024 and then endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris when Biden dropped out. Duncan, who is a CNN contributor, was also told by Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon to stop using his Republican credentials in public and media appearances following his expulsion from the party. The Georgia GOP additionally said Duncan used his Republican title to "attack the Republican Party" in his role on CNN. Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this article source: Trump calls former Georgia Lt. Gov. 'total loser' for swapping from Republican to Democrat: 'Good riddance'
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Republican-turned-Democrat former Georga Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan on whether he'll run for governor in 2026
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who this week left the GOP and became a Democrat, sits for a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
