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Exclusive – Former Georgia Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Duncan says President Donald Trump’s social media attacks have criticized his move from Republicans to Democrats.
“Lt. Col. Jeff Duncan, former lieutenant governor of Georgia, is a complete loser,” Trump wrote early Friday on his true social platform.
The president said that Duncan “can’t accomplish anything, all he did was complain. We were told he was Republican anymore and didn’t want him, so he became a Democrat.
Asked about the criticism, Duncan told Fox News Digital in an exclusive national interview a few hours later.
Former Lt. government. Geoff Duncan abandons GOP and joins the Democrats
This week, Georgia’s former Republican Jeff Duncan switched political parties and became a Democrat. (Getty Images)
“So I wish him good luck and hope he will understand how he will run the country better for the next few years than he is now. But I’m proud to be a non-Republican.”
In announcing his decision, Duncan cited several policy issues involved in his decision to change parties, including healthcare, Medicaid, gun safety, immigration, and poverty.
He wrote that his tenure time taught him the best way to “love my neighbor.”
“I think it’s easier to love your neighbor as a Democrat, but it’s not the perfect landing point, but it gives you a better opportunity every day when you wake up to love your neighbor.”
Georgia GOP expels former Lt. government. Jeff Duncan from the party was allegedly disloyal
A former healthcare executive and minor league baseball player, Duncan voted as lieutenant governor in 2018, serving in the Georgia Legislature for four years before winning the election. He opposed seeking re-election in 2022.
After resigning, Duncan was a voice-over GOP critic for Trump’s repeated efforts to reverse the election defeat on the Georgia battlefield to former Georgia president, but he worked on what he said.
At the time, Governor Joff Duncan gave a speech on October 20, 2021 at the New Hampshire Institute of Political Science in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Paulsteinhauser – Fox News)
Duncan endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after endorsing Biden in the 2024 presidential election and later replaced him at the top of Democrats’ 2024 tickets. Duncan spoke in a famous speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last August.
The Georgia Republicans expelled him from the GOP earlier this year.
“Neither party is attacking it from the park. You don’t need to look any further than statistics to see Republicans have issues. Democrats certainly have their issues,” Duncan told Fox News. “I tried this reform on the Republican side, but Donald Trump, in my opinion, smoked the life and future of the Republican party.”
Duncan’s old boss, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, is limited in time and cannot seek re-election next year. Duncan confirmed with Fox News that he is considering a 2026 run for the governor.
“My family and I are certainly not ready to make that big decision here, but that’s something we’re certainly considering. So my phone has been ringing for months, from Democrats, from independents and even from people who want us to consider this,” Duncan said.
Asked about his timetable, Duncan said, “2026 is coming like a freight train. And certainly, if this is a decision we’re moving forward, it will need to be within a few months.”
“If Democrats want to succeed, especially in Georgia, they’ll have to live in the middle, not in fringe. They’ll have to have a medium candidate who can use common sense to provide leadership,” Duncan said.
Almost half a dozen Georgia Democrats have already launched a governor’s campaign, including former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who later worked for the Biden administration.
“We hope we can sit down and beat the governor and find a Democratic candidate who won’t allow Governor Trump to appear in the state for four years,” Duncan said, referring to Lt. Col. Burt Jones and two key Republicans running for state attorney general.
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“The Republican slate will be ruled by people who support Donald Trump, who will become the puppet of Donald Trump’s socks,” Duncan argued. “And Georgians don’t want that. Georgians don’t want Donald Trump’s contradictions to manage how they educate their children, how they keep the city safe, and how the government interacts with those they need most.”
Watching next year’s election, when Georgia is back in the national spotlight, Duncan said, “Georgia will continue to be the political center of the universe as we see the race in the Senate going well. I think Georgia has the opportunity to lead the rest of the country.”
Landon Mion of Fox News contributed to this report.
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in swing state in New Hampshire. He covers campaign trails from coast to coast. ”
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