Jody Hice lost the Republican primary to Brad Raffensperger, who is seeking a second term in office this fall.
Duncan had no reservations about dismissing Hice, who was endorsed by the former president, even though he was deeply critical of former President Donald Trump's monthslong campaign to overturn the results of the November 2020 general election.
The GOP primary was won by Raffensperger with 52 percent of the vote, compared to 33 for the other candidates. By winning the election with over 50 percent of the vote, he was able to focus on the November race.
Duncan, who announced earlier this year he would not run for reelection this fall and would instead focus on the GOP 2.0 independent movement to broaden the Republican coalition, was thrilled for Raffensperger and praised him for defending the integrity of Georgia's vote in 2020.
Brad Raffensperger did the right thing. The quality of a candidate is still important, and Jody Hice was a terrible candidate, according to Duncan.
While Hice had the backing of Trump, who remains the most influential Republican in the party, it didn't translate into higher name recognition for the conservative lawmaker, who struggled to win in localities that weren't a part of his congressional district.
Hice, who ran few ads and lacked the visibility of the incumbent secretary of state, likely was aiming to secure a spot in the June election.
In the end, that did not happen.
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