Geoff Duncan's long-shot campaign for Georgia governor is asking Democratic voters to accept one of the strangest political conversions of the 2026 cycle: a former Republican lieutenant governor, once aligned with conservative policies, now running in a Democratic primary shaped by Donald Trump, abortion rights, health care and the future of Georgia's swing-state politics.
Duncan, who served as Georgia's lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023, is seeking the Democratic nomination after breaking sharply with the GOP over Trump's false claims about the 2020 election. He is running against a field led by former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has held a commanding advantage in recent polling ahead of Tuesday's primary. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released May 4 showed Bottoms at 39%, with former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond at 10%, former state Sen. Jason Esteves at 8% and Duncan at 7%. About one-third of likely Democratic primary voters remained undecided.
