ATLANTA – Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is leaving elective office next year to try to restore bipartisanship to the search for solutions to the problems facing America, the Republican from Cumming told a business audience Monday.
“Both sides are guilty of trying to politicize every issue,” Duncan said during a luncheon speech before the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “It’s this type of mindset that drove me in a new direction.”
Duncan announced in May he would not seek a second term as Georgia’s lieutenant governor to focus on creating a national nonprofit called “GOP 2.0” aimed at rebuilding the Republican Party in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s ongoing claims of widespread voter fraud following his defeat last November.
“It’s not about winning elections,” Duncan said Monday. “It’s about creating a movement that lets us focus on real problems with real solutions.”
Duncan was outspoken after Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden about the need for the GOP to move on from 2020 and stop dwelling on lawsuits charging election fraud that were dismissed in court after court. On Monday, he called the controversies that swirled after Election Day a “post-election disaster” that was unnecessary.
While Duncan puts together his new organization, he vowed to continue working on the key challenges facing Georgia during his last 17 months in office.
He plugged a proposal he unveiled last month calling for a $250 million state income tax credit to raise money for fighting crime. The money raised through donations made in exchange for the tax credit would go to police officer pay raises, to hire more officers and to increase training.
“Crime is something that’s been politicized way too much,” Duncan said. “[But] crime affects Democrats and Republicans equally.”
Duncan also pledged to continue his efforts to make Georgia the technology capital of the Southeast. He launched a public-private partnership last year dedicated to that goal.
“Every business in the 21st century is a technology company,” he said. “We want to make sure they have a safe home here in Georgia.”