Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan presides over the senate chamber. (March 13, 2020)
ATLANTA - Georgia's Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said Sunday he does not plan to run for a U.S. Senate seat in the 2022 election.
Duncan was a guest on "Meet the Press" on Sunday and said his focus is on softening the tone of the Republican party.
"My family and I have talked about it, and we’re not going to run for the U.S. Senate seat," Duncan told host Chuck Todd. "We’re going to stay focused on being the lieutenant governor here in Georgia and we are going to focus hard on trying to rebuild this party and refocus GOP 2.0."
Duncan was critical of measures taken by his own party this week, protesting the passage of an election reform bill this week by staying outside of Senate chambers and watching proceedings in his office.
RELATED: Georgia House approves election reform legislation
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Crossover Day at the state Capitol
Election reform bills are the focus of Crossover Day under the Gold Dome.
SB 241 eliminates no-excuse absentee voting, which Duncan does not support.
"As the Lt. Governor and presiding officer, I don't get a chance to vote, 'No,' or 'Yes,'" Duncan told FOX 5's Claire Simms on Crossover Day. "This is my opportunity to express my opinion."
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won both Georgia Senate seats and the U.S. Senate majority in twin runoff elections in January. The defeated GOP incumbents defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler,
Perdue has already announced he will not fight to regain his seat in 2022.
Duncan's criticism of GOP politicians and policies is not new.
On the day of the Captial Riots, January 6, Ducan called for unanimous support of the Electoral College votes in the U.S. House and Senate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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