Georgia Republicans Expel Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan

The former state officeholder has publicly supported Democrats, criticized fellow Republicans, and spoke at the Democratic National Convention.
Georgia Republicans Expel Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Janice Hisle
Updated:
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A Georgian who formerly held his state’s second-highest post as a Republican has been expelled from the party following months of discord.

The Georgia Republican Party’s executive committee voted unanimously to oust Geoff Duncan, an ex-state lawmaker who also served as lieutenant governor until 2023, accusing him of undermining fellow Republicans.

The party also contends that he “violated his oath of allegiance to the Republican Party,” the Georgia GOP said in a Jan. 6 news release.
The party’s unusual move came the same day that Congress certified the 2024 election win of Republican President-elect Donald Trump—whose candidacy Duncan publicly opposed.
Duncan had supported the top two Democrats who ran against Trump in the 2024 election: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who later became the presidential candidate after Biden dropped out.

Reacting to his expulsion, Duncan suggested that the party was wasting its efforts on trivial matters such as giving him the boot.

“Hard to believe this is a good use of time for a party that’s only got a limited amount of time to figure out mass deportations, world peace, and global tariffs,” Duncan wrote, in part, on social media.

Duncan did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by publication time.

Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon told The Epoch Times on Jan. 7 that he believes Duncan is the first member the state’s Republican Party has expelled from its ranks.

“This action is unprecedented,” McKoon said, “as is Duncan’s repeated treachery against fellow Republicans in service of his own personal agenda.”

An Ohio attorney who has closely followed politics for 35 years, Mike Allen of Cincinnati told The Epoch Times that he had never previously heard of a U.S. political party booting one of its members.

Allen said he is unsure how the party could enforce its demand that Duncan cease referring to himself as a “Republican,” given the free speech rights afforded under The First Amendment.

If Duncan refuses to comply with that restriction, Allen said, the Georgia GOP might be able to file a civil lawsuit claiming “tortious interference”—a claim that a person is wrongfully interfering in business or contractual relationships.

The Georgia GOP asserts that Duncan has served as a paid political commentator and the party has insisted that he discontinue “using his false claim of being a ‘Republican’ for personal profit.”

With their unanimous vote on Jan. 6, the state executive committee adopted an Aug. 2 “open letter” that McKoon wrote, calling out Duncan’s opposition to Trump and other Republicans.

McKoon warned Duncan that he would be “treated as a trespasser” if he attempted to attend any party functions.

Later that month, Duncan addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Janice Hisle
Janice Hisle
Reporter
Janice Hisle reports on former President Donald Trump's campaign for the 2024 general election ballot and related issues. Before joining The Epoch Times, she worked for more than two decades as a reporter for newspapers in Ohio and authored several books. She is a graduate of Kent State University's journalism program. You can reach Janice at: [email protected]
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