Ex-GOP leader calls party 'epitome of heartless' as he jumps ship to join Dems

Former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, a Republican, announced in an editorial that he's officially leaving the GOP — and he's implying that President Donald Trump is the straw that broke the camel's back.

Duncan has been a Republican since entering public office.

"My journey to becoming a Democrat started well before Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in Georgia," wrote Duncan for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "There’s no date on a calendar or line in the sand that points to the exact moment in time my political heart changed, but it has."

Duncan explained that his Christian faith and belief in the "golden rule," to "love thy neighbor," is his main catalyst, noting that modern Republican principles make it difficult for him to observe the former.

"The brilliance of this simple faith-inspired phrase is it takes on a different meaning every minute of every day with no asterisks," Duncan wrote. "There will never be a shortage of people or places to exercise the time-tested approach of loving your neighbor, regardless of race, religion, lifestyle or immigration status."

He specifically cited the recent decision from Republicans in Washington to significantly slash Medicaid.

"Medicaid funding is now in shambles because of the not so 'big beautiful bill' with budget cuts totaling $911 billion over the next 10 years. Any state-led expansion of Medicaid now will be complicated and expensive given the current dynamics. Nobody ever said loving your neighbor was going to be easy or cheap, just worth it," complained Duncan.

He also cited the GOP decision to cut taxes for the ultra wealthy while nearly 20% of children "in Georgia lack consistent access to food." But the "big, beautiful bill" cuts SNAP benefits.

Finally, he noted that the new immigration policies are antithetical to the same Christian values.

"Recent immigration policies have turned into a lesson on how not to love your neighbor. Ordering military style raids on undocumented but law-abiding families for the sole purpose of creating a feeding frenzy on social media is the epitome of heartless, not to mention pointless," Duncan continued.

He explained that his list of reasons for switching parties continues to grow and that, as a Democrat, it makes it a lot easier to "love thy neighbor."

Read the full column here.