Georgia — one of the original 13 colonies and, long before that, home to Indigenous nations including the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee and the Lower Muscogee Creek Tribe — has been shaped by a complex and consequential past. The state’s history spans the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and a political lineage that includes 83 official governors.
Republicans have held the governor’s office for many years, with Roy Barnes serving as the most recent Democratic governor, elected in 1999.
Today, 16 candidates are vying to become Georgia’s next chief executive. The state’s primary is set for May 19, and the general election will follow on November 3, 2026. As part of the “Their Voice, Your Vote” gubernatorial candidate series, “Closer Look” has invited all candidates to participate in one‑on‑one interviews.
In this conversation, Democratic candidate Geoff Duncan talks about some of his priorities:
“ I want to take $1.7 billion of our $17 billion rainy day fund and put it in a jumpstart fund to help bring some affordable solutions to families that are struggling,” said Duncan. “A childcare cost for single parents is a huge issue. Some can’t even go back to work. I want to better fund the CAPS program to lower childcare costs.”
On the Heartbeat Bill: “Women deserve the right to choose between themselves, their own faith, their own families, their own doctors. And that a politician that they’ve never met and never will meet is making one of the most important decisions that they’ve ever made — that’s unfair. And I promised every room I’ve walked into, I want to get this issue right. And I’m going to — day one — sign an executive order that clarifies doctors can practice medicine without fear of prosecution, because that has become a major issue. And two, introduce through my floor leaders, legislation to repeal the six-week ban.”
On passing Medicaid Expansion: “The fact that if somebody doesn’t have health insurance, it’s not like they don’t all of a sudden get sick or have to go to the hospital. We just put them in the worst position ever to have to decide ‘Do they deal with their own medical issues on their own, or do they show up to the hospital and bankrupt themselves or their family?’ And so I think Republicans, a majority of Republicans, I think know this is an issue that’s got to pass. If they want somebody to blame, as I said earlier, point their finger at me and say, ‘The governor, Geoff Duncan, made me do this. And that’s okay. I want to represent those families that are scared to death to go to the hospital, that are not getting the preventative care that they need.”
