Ga. GOP Lt. Gov. Says He’s “Not Sacrificing” to Appease Trump: Book



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  • In his new book, Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan of Georgia rejected the party’s allegiance to Trump.
  • Duncan commented on the criticism he faced in asserting the state’s 2020 election results.
  • “Has the former president poisoned our system to the point that I am curiosity? ”he asked.

Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan of Georgia, a Tory who defended the veracity of the 2020 presidential election results against allegations of voter fraud, said he was “not sacrificing anything” to appease former President Donald Trump.

The lieutenant governor, pointing to his work last year to elect GOP candidates in Peach State, laments that the gossip surrounding the “imminent end” of his political career was not motivated by his lack of leadership. commitment to the ideals of the party, but because he considered the defeats in 2020 and “passed to fight again in the next round”.

In his recently published book, “GOP 2.0,” Duncan explained how he would help build a more independent and inclusive party, which is especially important in Georgia, a rapidly diversifying state that was narrowly won by the president. Joe Biden last fall.

But he is also making it clear that he has long adhered to conservative principles and will not let anyone – including Trump – dictate his beliefs.

“I had left people on both sides of the aisle scratching their heads,” he wrote, pointing to a March Atlanta Journal-Constitution article titled “The Curious Case of Lt. Gov. Geoff. Duncan. “”

The article, written by political journalist Greg Bluestein, explained how most Republicans in Georgia bonded with the former president or “tried to avoid his anger”, while the lieutenant governor rejected such overtures.

Duncan said his actions simply reflected normalcy, something he said was lost amid pressure from the GOP to appease Trump.

“When the headliner of the party – the president – lost, I was disappointed,” he wrote. “Like other lieutenant governors, I checked three times to make sure our elections were conducted in a free and fair manner.

He added: “Of course other Republicans didn’t follow the tradition in 2020. They took a bizarre turn and created an alternate universe where facts, truth, conservative principles and institutional respect failed. didn’t matter. They followed a demagogue with a hold on their constituents … They intentionally misled their constituents and spread misinformation for personal gain on a scale never seen in the US election. They convinced millions of Republicans that they were right; they did me looks like crazy. “

Duncan, who warned that Trump’s criticism of Georgia’s voting processes would put the party at risk in future contests, saw his worst-case scenario come true with the loss of the two US Senate seats formerly held by Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler after the critical second round of the January elections. .

In the book, the Lieutenant Governor wrote about disbelief at being questioned by others about his principles.

“Is it difficult to understand that a husband and father of three boys chose to stand by the truth? That a Conservative stood up for the rule of law? That a lieutenant governor did his duty and followed the traditions that have kept American democracy alive for nearly 250 years? Did the former president poison our system to the point that I am curiosity? ”he asked.

He added: “Apparently yes because everyone now expects Republicans to sacrifice every principle to make a person happy. I’m here to tell you that I’m not sacrificing anything to appease the former president.”

Duncan, who was elected alongside Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2018, announced earlier this year that he would not stand for re-election in 2022 and instead focus on the independent GOP 2.0 movement to expand the republican coalition.

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