What does it take to run for Georgia governor as a former Republican turned Democrat? Geoff Duncan knows the answer better than most. The former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia sat down with Tug Cowart and Daniel Matalon on Justice Unfiltered to talk about politics, policy, AI, and why he believes Georgia can go from good to great.
From the Baseball Diamond to the Gold Dome
Before Geoff Duncan was a politician, he was a pitcher. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1996 and spent six seasons in the minor leagues. He met his wife at football tryouts on his first day at Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta. A few Waffle House dinners later, they had built a life together.
He talks openly about what baseball taught him. Tenacity. Grit. Focus. The ability to show up when everything feels hard.
“Life is just a series of building blocks. Baseball is a huge building block. I learned tenacity and grit at a level I didn’t know I could possess.” — Geoff Duncan
He drew a straight line from those years on the mound to his years in politics. Both require you to be your own biggest fan on the days that feel the most lonely.
The Entrepreneur Nobody Talks About
Duncan does not get described as an entrepreneur first. But he should be. Two weeks after being released by the Marlins, he and his wife launched a promotional products company out of their home. They grew it into a company with national accounts, hired a team, and eventually sold it.
He told the Justice Unfiltered team he wishes he still owned it today. That company set the foundation for a life built around small business. Now one of his sons is in law school, and another is running an AI startup out of Georgia Tech.
Bipartisanship: A Lost Art or Just Hard Work?
This is where Duncan gets fired up. He served in a 90-10 Republican district after being elected in 2012. He could have played to the base and never worried about re-election. Instead, he made bipartisanship his operating system.
His biggest example? The Rural Hospital Tax Credit. Stacey Abrams was against this bill. He asked her for ideas to improve it. She gave him three. He put them in the bill and got nearly unanimous votes in the House.
He did the same thing with hate crimes legislation after Ahmaud Arbery was murdered. He walked into the Democratic caucus meeting and said he needed their help. That bill passed.
He broke down what he calls the problem with modern campaigns:
- Politicians are rewarded for demonizing opponents, not solving problems.
- Legislation passed along party lines makes a point but rarely makes a difference.
- Candidates show up to the job as damaged goods after divisive campaigns.
His fix? He talks to individual Georgians every day. He says they almost universally want bipartisanship, lower costs, and problems solved. The divide lives in media and campaigns, not in neighborhoods.
AI, Data Centers, and Georgia’s Economic Future
One of the most interesting stretches of the conversation touched on artificial intelligence. Duncan acknowledged he does not have all the answers on AI regulation. But he has a framework.
He talked about the massive data centers being built to power AI algorithms. These facilities require huge amounts of water and electricity. He wants local communities to have control over where they get built, and he does not want everyday ratepayers to foot the bill for the electrical infrastructure upgrades those centers require.
On the workforce side, he raised a concern he has heard from private equity investors: AI could simultaneously cause GDP to skyrocket and unemployment to spike. He believes Georgia needs to intentionally build a cybersecurity and tech workforce pipeline, starting in high school and running through technical schools and four-year universities.
He also made a case for innovation on the hardware side:
Let’s build more energy-efficient chips here in Georgia. Let’s figure out how to use waterless cooling instead of 15 million gallons a day. There are opportunities, but we have to be intentional.
College vs. Trade Schools: What Geoff Duncan Actually Thinks
Duncan does not believe everyone needs a four-year degree. He celebrated the stories he has heard from labor union training centers, where young people come out of high school, skip the $100,000 in debt, and start earning and building benefits immediately.
He also pointed to cybersecurity certifications as an example of a high-paying, durable career path that does not require a traditional college route. He wants Georgia to build more of those pathways.
His Vision as Geoff Duncan, Georgia Governor
Duncan is focused on three priorities if elected governor of Georgia: the affordability crisis, the healthcare crisis, and what he calls the Donald Trump crisis.
On affordability, he wants to take 10% of Georgia’s $17 billion rainy day fund and create a jumpstart fund. That $1.7 billion would go toward childcare costs, housing, and transportation support for families stuck in poverty cycles. He calls it an investment, not a handout.
On healthcare, he wants to expand Medicaid and sign an executive order on day one to let doctors practice medicine without the six-week abortion ban restricting care.
He also said 90% of Georgians want universal background checks, red flag laws, and in-home safe storage laws. He plans to move on all of it in the first 100 days.
What Separates Him From the Field
Duncan makes a specific argument about why he is the strongest candidate in the Democratic primary and in a general election. He knows how the governor’s job actually works. He sat in the front row as lieutenant governor.
He knows how the budget works. He knows which Republicans are tired of making excuses for MAGA. He has already been behind enemy lines, as he puts it. And he does not show up to the general election as damaged goods because he has not run a campaign built on grenades and demonization.
He started his campaign in dead last. As of the recording of this episode, he is in second place and positioned to make the runoff with Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Why This Conversation Matters
A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds exists at the intersection of criminal justice, community, and second chances. So does this conversation. Geoff Duncan’s campaign is built on the belief that Georgia deserves leadership that works for all 11 million of its residents, not just a partisan base.
When systems work the way they should, people get fair treatment, access to healthcare, and a real shot at stability. That is what A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds has always stood for. You can learn more about how bail bonds work in Georgia and how A 2nd Chance supports families navigating the legal system at a2ndchancebailbonds.com and a2ndchancemonitoring.com.
Watch or Listen to the Full Conversation
Geoff Duncan’s full conversation with Daniel Matalon and Tug Cowart is available now on the Justice Unfiltered podcast. Listen at The Podcast Park: https://www.thepodcastpark.com/justiceunfiltered/ or search Justice Unfiltered on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
About A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds
A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds has been reuniting families for nearly 20 years. What started as a single office in Metro Atlanta has grown to multiple locations across Georgia and Alabama. Our licensed bail bond agents are available around the clock to provide fast, respectful service to every family we work with.
