Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) said Monday that he will vote for President Joe Biden this year because Donald Trump has "disqualified himself."
In a Monday op-ed for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Duncan explained why he was splitting with his party for the presidential vote.
"[T]he GOP will never rebuild until we move on from the Trump era, leaving conservative (but not angry) Republicans like me no choice but to pull the lever for Biden," he wrote. "The alternative is another term of Trump, a man who has disqualified himself through his conduct and his character."
Duncan pointed to Trump's ongoing trial for falsifying business records after hush money payments were made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
"Most important, Trump fanned the flames of unfounded conspiracy theories that led to the horrific events of Jan. 6, 2021," the former elected official said. "He refuses to admit he lost the last election and has hinted he might do so again after the next one."
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Duncan said some Republicans like former Attorney General Bill Barr were "holding their nose and falling behind Trump." He said Barr ignored the "cockamamie schemes that included fake slates of electors and have led to indictments (so far) in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Georgia."
He also recalled that the last year of the Trump presidency was chaotic.
"Trump has shown us who he is. We should believe him. To think he is going to change at the age of 77 is beyond improbable," Duncan observed. "Yet each new day increases the possibility of a second Trump presidency. Voters’ memories are short."
"A recent poll from the Wall Street Journal showed Trump leading in six out of seven of those states. If these results hold, he will have more than enough electoral votes for a second term," he warned. "The healing of the Republican Party cannot begin with Trump as president (and that’s aside from the untold damage that potentially awaits our country)."
"Unlike Trump, I’ve belonged to the GOP my entire life. This November, I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass."