After playing college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Duncan played professional baseball for six years, until a shoulder injury ended his baseball career. He went into business and was elected to the Georgia House in 2012. Duncan was elected lieutenant governor in 2018, but he did not seek re-election in 2022, with fellow Republican Burt Jones being elected to replace him.[1]
In the wake of the 2020 presidential election, Duncan was among the few Republican Party officials who openly and outspokenly criticized Donald Trump for falsely claiming the election was stolen. After leaving office, Duncan became a political commentator for CNN.
The Florida Marlins selected Duncan in the 69th round, with the 1,647th overall selection, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft.[5] Duncan played in Minor League Baseball for the Marlins organization from 1996 through 2000. He reached as high as Triple-A, where he was being used as a relief pitcher, when a shoulder injury ended his career.[6] Duncan then retired from baseball and went into business.[7]
Business
After retiring from baseball, Duncan became chief executive officer for Wellview Health, a healthcare and wellness company.[8] In post-public office life, Duncan serves as a frequent commenter on CNN, and is a public speaker with The Harry Walker Agency.[9]
Georgia House of Representatives
Duncan successfully ran to represent the newly-created 26th district of the Georgia House of Representatives in the 2012 election.[10] In the Republican primary, he narrowly defeated former legislator Tom Knox, who held the seat before running for State Insurance Commissioner in 2010.
Following a recount, Duncan was found to have won 4,507 votes to 4,452 received by Knox.[11] Duncan's campaign emphasized creating private sector jobs, reducing government spending, and supporting conservation efforts at Lake Lanier.[12]
In 2014, Duncan ran for reelection, defeating Knox in a rematch with 61% of the vote. He faced no opposition from Democrats in the general election.[13] Duncan was once again reelected in the 2016 election. As a state legislator, he helped lead efforts to pass Michael’s Law, a bill that forbids individuals under the age of 21 from working as bar bouncers.[14]
Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
2018 election
Duncan announced he would run for lieutenant governor of Georgia on April 10, 2017.[14] He resigned from the Georgia House in September 2017 to focus on running for lieutenant governor in 2018.[15][16] He was described as an "underdog" candidate against David Shafer, who had served as president pro tempore of the Georgia State Senate.[17]
On May 22, 2018, Shafer received 48.9% of the vote in the Republican primary with Duncan coming in second place with 26.6%. Because no candidate received a majority of votes, the election then went to a runoff held on July 24.[18] Duncan acknowledged that he faced an uphill battle against Shafer in the runoff election.[17] The runoff election focused largely on Shafer's record at the capitol and a number of ethical questions surrounding his candidacy.[19]
On July 24, Duncan, previously considered a longshot candidate defeated Shafer with 50.16% of the vote.[20] His victory was described as an upset by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[21] He defeated Democratic nominee Sarah Riggs Amico in the general election, receiving nearly 52% of the vote and avoiding another runoff.[22]
Tenure
Duncan was inaugurated lieutenant governor on January 14, 2019.[23] As lieutenant governor, Duncan highlighted efforts by the Kemp administration on healthcare policy, and stated his wish for Georgia to become the "technology capital of the East Coast".[24]
Duncan (right) with U.S. Senator David Perdue in 2019.
Days later, Duncan said during a CNN interview that momentum for the legislation grew from "the fallout from the ten weeks of misinformation that flew in from former President Donald Trump. I went back over the weekend to really look at where this really started to gain momentum in the legislature, and it was when Rudy Giuliani showed up in a couple of committee rooms and spent hours spreading misinformation and sowing doubt across, you know, hours of testimony."[26]
In April 2021, Duncan's chief of staff stated that he was unlikely to run for a second term, after he openly contradicted false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. His chief of staff added that Duncan had yet to make a final decision about whether to run again in 2022.[27] On May 17, 2021, Duncan announced that he would not be seeking a second term.[28] An October 2021 trip to New Hampshire to promote his book GOP 2.0, which outlines plans for a post-Trump future for the Republican Party, fueled speculation in his home state that Duncan may be positioning himself to run for president in 2024.[29][30] Duncan said he did not vote for either Raphael Warnock or Herschel Walker in the 2022 U.S. Senate election.[31]
Post-Lieutenant Governor career
In May 2024, during the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Duncan wrote an opinion piece titled "Why I'm Voting for Biden and other Republicans should, too", which appeared in the May 6, 2024 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is now a full-time paid political commentator on CNN.
In the article, Duncan expressed his support in the 2024 U.S. presidential election for Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden, while strongly criticizing the GOP presumptive nominee, former Republican President Donald Trump. Duncan described Biden as a "decent person I disagree with on policy", which he contrasted with Trump, whom he characterized as "a criminal defendant without a moral compass".[32] After Biden stepped aside, Duncan endorsed Kamala Harris.[33] Duncan has urged Republicans to support Harris' presidential campaign,[34] giving a speech directed to them at the Democratic National Convention.[35]
Personal life
Duncan and his wife, Brooke, live in Cumming, Georgia. They have three sons.[36]
