The third-party presidential movement No Labels could feature former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan as a White House contender atop a “unity” ticket after several high-profile candidates decided against running.

The group’s 800 delegates from 50 states voted during a virtual meeting Friday to field an independent candidate, and an official with direct knowledge of the negotiations said Duncan, a Republican, could be picked to lead the effort.

Duncan, an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump and his allies since the 2020 election, penned a book detailing his vision of a “GOP 2.0″ that moves beyond divisive rhetoric.

He also is a frequent contrarian within his party. He refused to endorse Herschel Walker, the Trump-backed U.S. Senate nominee in 2022, and he also wouldn’t support the campaign of his successor, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Both were Trump loyalists.

And he was a key witness in the Fulton County election interference trial against Trump and his allies, testifying before a grand jury shortly before District Attorney Fani Willis announced indictments against the former president and 18 co-defendants.

With polls showing many voters dreading a rematch between President Joe Biden and Trump, No Labels sees an opening for a third-party bid. The group has also built a considerable cash stockpile from donors it has refused to disclose.

But Biden supporters worry the attempt will hurt the Democrat in battlegrounds such as Georgia, where fewer than 12,000 votes decided the 2020 race. Biden became the first Democrat to flip the state since 1992.

Credit: NYT

Credit: NYT

No Labels has struggled to attract a formidable contender. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said she wouldn’t wage a third-party bid after quitting the GOP race this week, and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate West Virginia Democrat, said he won’t run for president.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican with ties to No Labels, is instead running for a U.S. Senate seat. The possibility of Duncan’s candidacy was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Duncan declined to comment on a potential No Labels bid when asked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

‘In search of a problem’

During his one term as Georgia’s No. 2 official, Duncan was an iconoclast.

While most state Republican officials either cozy up to Trump or try to avoid his wrath, Duncan set himself on a collision course with the former president and top members of his own party by disputing the falsehoods spread about the 2020 election.

Since Trump’s 2020 election defeat, Duncan has repeatedly urged fellow Republicans to move past the former president. He’s called proposed rollbacks to voting rights “solutions in search of a problem,” and he refused to preside over a Senate vote on election restrictions.

His stance alienated many Republicans, who said he effectively betrayed the GOP.

A former professional baseball player, Duncan was a three-term member of the Georgia House from Forsyth County when he announced a 2018 run for the seat left open when then-Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle ran for governor. Duncan narrowly defeated David Shafer in a GOP runoff, then bested Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico.

He quickly positioned himself as an ally to Gov. Brian Kemp and was one of the first high-profile officials to endorse U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Before he became a vocal critic of Trump, he was seen as a potential contender for the U.S. Senate or other higher office.

The extent of Duncan’s national name recognition is unclear, though he’s tried to build a broader profile as a CNN commentator and a contributing columnist to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after leaving office in 2023. Still, he could have a bigger impact on the electorate in Georgia, where he won nearly 2 million votes in 2018.

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, one of the leaders of No Labels, said on ”The Julie Mason Show” that Duncan was an intriguing prospect.

“I can’t confirm or deny, but I admire him a lot because he has the guts to stand up,” Lieberman said. “He’s a conservative Republican, but he stood up to Trump, particularly after the 2020 election.”