GD POLITICS: "Can A Former Republican Win Georgia For Democrats?"

Host: Galen Druke
Guest: Jeff Duncan (former Georgia Republican Lt. Governor, now Democratic candidate for Governor)
Date: January 12, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth interview with Jeff Duncan, the former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, who is now running as a Democrat for governor. Duncan discusses his political evolution, key campaign issues, and the challenges and strategies involved in flipping Georgia’s governor’s mansion to Democratic control for the first time since 1998. The conversation touches on his break with the GOP after the Trump era, his positions on major policy areas, attacks from primary opponents, and what makes him a unique contender in a shifting political landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Global Current Events as Political Backdrop

• US Strikes on Venezuela: Galen and Jeff begin by talking about the recent US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (03:09). Duncan sees the removal of an international drug trafficker as positive, but voices concern over Trump’s rhetoric about “taking over their oil industry” without a plan.
  • Quote:
    "There’s some serious questions starting to surface...Probably the most concerning issue is that Donald Trump is not paying attention to America's problems." — Jeff Duncan (03:33)
• Duncan emphasizes that Trump's focus on international affairs is detracting from solving domestic crises like affordability and healthcare (03:50).

2. Duncan’s Political Evolution: From GOP to Democrat

• Early Bipartisanship: Duncan describes his upbringing and political entry as nonpartisan, emphasizing coalition-building and bipartisan legislation (07:21).
  • Quote:
    "The bills that only passed down party lines did a really good job of making a point, but rarely made a difference." — Jeff Duncan (07:44)
• Catalysts for Change:
  • Ahmaud Arbery hate crimes legislation (08:08): GOP resistance to hate crimes reform drove Duncan to work with Democrats.
  • 2020 Election Aftermath (09:18): Duncan details his behind-the-scenes pushback against Trump’s false claims and the risks (death threats, personal safety) he and his family faced.
  • Quote:
    “Every time Donald Trump would send a tweet with my name in it... the death threats would start. My phone would ring, my wife's phone would ring... We had armed state troopers around our house protecting us — from Republicans.” — Jeff Duncan (10:43)

3. Failure of ‘GOP 2.0’ and the Party’s Trump Turn

• Duncan tried to steer the GOP toward “conservative policies based in empathy” (15:06) but says Trump “stole the heart and soul of the Republican Party. He has turned it into a blood sport, a cage match...” (15:42).
  • Admits areas he was “wrong” as a Republican—Medicaid expansion, gun policy, abortion (16:35).
    • Quote:
      "I was wrong to sit there and think that the NRA had anybody’s best interest at heart." — Jeff Duncan (16:57)

4. Addressing Flip-Flopping and Party Switch Critiques

• Duncan acknowledges opposition attacks highlighting his past positions (17:21), but sees this as indicative of growth and pragmatism, not expediency.
  • Quote:
    "Nobody sits really in the same political positions their entire life... We have to have opportunities to change as we learn." — Jeff Duncan (30:38)
• Differentiates himself from “top to bottom Democrats” by focusing on facts, details, and effective governance over partisanship (24:15).

5. Electability Argument: Winning in Georgia

• Duncan stresses the need for Democrats to broaden their appeal to independents and “disgusted Republicans” to finally win the governor’s mansion (18:32, 19:41).
  • Quote:
    "To be governor in Georgia for the first time in nearly 30 years... you’ve got to get Democrats, independents and disgusted Republicans." — Jeff Duncan (18:35)
• Focused messaging: affordability, healthcare, and the “Donald Trump crisis” (18:45).

6. Policy Positions: Key Issues for Georgia

a) Immigration (25:26)

• Supports “orderly and secure border process” but opposes “inhumane” ICE operations and refuses to use state assets for federal immigration raids (26:42).
  • Quote:
    "If Donald Trump wants to use state of Georgia assets to amplify his ICE efforts, I will not allow that to happen as governor." — Jeff Duncan (26:45)

b) Abortion (27:55)

• States shift in understanding; learned from Kamala Harris that nobody should force their personal views on others.
  • Vows:
    1. Executive order for doctors to practice medicine without fear of prosecution.
    2. Repeal Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban (28:57).
    • Quote:
      “None of us wake up with the right to force [our opinions] on somebody else.” — Jeff Duncan (28:08)

c) Guns

• Once pro-NRA, now supports universal background checks, red flag laws, and safe storage after being confronted with reality of gun violence (30:38).

d) Medicaid Expansion, Health Care, and Affordability

• Now firm supporter of Medicaid expansion as essential to Georgia’s future.
• Advocates investment of state’s rainy day fund into child care, TANF expansion, and Medicaid to tackle affordability (36:27).

7. Primary Race & Campaign Strategy

• Cites his early polling (5%) as impressive given recent party switch (34:54).
• Stresses relentless effort and statewide outreach as keys to winning (35:10).
  • Quote:
    "You got to work. You got to meet people where they’re at. Democrats are thirsty. They want to win." — Jeff Duncan (35:22)
• Declines to directly attack primary opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms, preferring to focus on his vision and experience (36:01, 36:27).

8. Reflections on Political Courage and the State of the GOP

• Discusses Marjorie Taylor Greene’s public “change of heart” post-resignation as symptomatic of the chaos in the GOP, calling Trump’s leadership a “Ponzi scheme" (37:51).
  • Quote:
    “Donald Trump’s running a Ponzi scheme. That’s the only way to explain it. It’s all built on lies, it’s all built on misinformation, it’s all built on vapor.” — Jeff Duncan (38:23)

9. Personal Philosophy & Governing Style

• Insists he’ll “just be me” regardless of the political consequences—focus on problem solving, governing “as an honest umpire,” and resisting pressure from party extremes (40:29, 25:26).
  • Quote:
    "I’m just going to be me... If that means I don't win a primary, that is what it is." — Jeff Duncan (40:29)

Notable Quotes & Moments With Timestamps

• On the state of the Republican Party
  “You give a Republican a six pack and two hours, they still can’t explain to you what tariffs are doing in a good way for this country. That’s the crisis going on inside the Republican Party.” — Jeff Duncan (06:29)

• On his break with the GOP
  “I didn’t run because I couldn’t win… I was embarrassed to call myself a Republican… because of the bombastic, unexplainable, unhumane behavior of Donald Trump…” — Jeff Duncan (13:53)

• On Democrats' opportunity
  "Donald Trump is literally that bad that every time he opens his mouth, the Democratic Party should get exponentially bigger... The focus is we’ve got to meet people where they’re at, what they’re worried about." — Jeff Duncan (33:23)

• On political change and attacks:
  "Nobody sits really in the same political positions their entire life. So that's one of those issues... We have to have opportunities [to change]." — Jeff Duncan (30:38)

Important Timestamps

• 03:09 — US strikes on Venezuela / Duncan’s take
• 07:21 — Early political evolution and bipartisanship
• 08:08 — Ahmaud Arbery case and breaking with GOP on hate crimes
• 09:18–11:40 — 2020 election: standing against Trump, threats, consequences
• 13:53 — Why Duncan left the GOP
• 15:42 — Failure of GOP reform after Trump
• 18:32–19:41 — Electability and the need to win over independents/Republicans
• 24:15 — Duncan on his Democratic identity
• 25:26–26:42 — Immigration: stark contrast with GOP/trump
• 27:55–29:44 — Abortion: policy shift, principle of personal autonomy
• 30:27 — On being called a flip-flopper
• 33:23 — Advice for Democrats: focus, not nuance
• 34:54–36:01 — Primary polling, campaign plan, why he’s running
• 36:06–36:27 — Refusal to attack primary opponent
• 37:51–38:23 — Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP collapse, Trump’s “Ponzi scheme”
• 40:29 — Philosophy: authenticity, ignoring the extremes

Tone & Style

• Jeff Duncan is direct and unsparing about both parties’ failures, but especially the moral and electoral bankruptcy of today’s Trump-era GOP, using vivid metaphors (“blood sport,” “Ponzi scheme,” “cage match”).
• He’s pragmatic, sometimes self-deprecating (“That’s pretty good for two weeks after I announced!” (34:54)), and avoids pandering or attacking opponents personally.
• Galen Druke is inquisitive and pushes for specifics, often challenging Duncan on policy clarity and defending against political attacks.

Summary Takeaway

Jeff Duncan’s candidacy represents a test of whether a converted, ex-Republican moderate can stitch together a coalition of Democrats, independents, and anti-Trump conservatives in Georgia. He argues that the state and the nation are hungry for pragmatic, detail-oriented problem-solvers, not “grenade throwers.” His evolution from a GOP leader to a Democrat is painted as a journey rooted in lived experience, policy reconsideration, and principle rather than expediency. Duncan stakes his campaign on Democratic focus, electoral pragmatism, and an authentic, post-partisan style—arguing he is the best hope for breaking the GOP’s grip on Georgia’s governor’s mansion after nearly three decades.