FORSYTH COUNTY — District 26 state Rep. Geoff Duncan of Forsyth County has announced he will be seeking re-election to the post he has held since 2013.  

“My family and I continue to feel like we can make a difference in our community and the state of Georgia,” Duncan said Thursday. “We’re excited about the opportunity to run again.”

A Republican, Duncan was first elected in 2012 and won a second term in 2014. District 26 covers a large swath of Forsyth. The general primary is set for May 24, with qualifying begin next week.

Duncan hopes voters will recognize the work he has accomplished during his time at the Capitol.

“We feel like we’ve done a good job and, hopefully, the community feels the same way and wants to send us back down there to continue to look for ways to remove the stresses and strains that government so often puts in front of the private sector and folks out there in the community,” he said.

Duncan is a member of several committees, including Banks and Banking, Science and Technology and Ways and Means. He is also secretary of the Interstate Cooperation Committee and vice chairman of the Information and Audits Committee.

Since 2013, he has been involved with bills that have both local and statewide ties.

“I’ve had a great opportunity to carry some really major pieces of legislation,” he said. “We carried the cargo theft act, we carried ‘Michael’s Law’ in memory of Michael Gatto, which has made a huge impact across the state of Georgia, and just last week was able to pass House Bill 919, a rural health care reform bill.”

Gatto, an 18-year-old South Forsyth High School graduate and Georgia Southern University student, was beat to death in August 2014 by an off-duty bouncer at a bar in Statesboro.

Michael’s Law includes a rule saying establishments that attribute 75 percent or more of their annual revenue to on-location alcohol sales must employ bouncers who are at least 21. Patrons must also be 21 to enter unless accompanied by a parent or to attend a music or performing arts show.

According to Duncan, the rural health care reform bill is a “$100 million tax credit here in the state of Georgia that is probably going to save every single rural hospital that we’ve got that was on the cusp of going out of business.”

If re-elected, Duncan said will continue to trying to find reasonable solutions to issues affecting county voters.

“I just look forward to continuing to look for legislation that has a positive impact on our community, but doesn’t grow the size of government,” he said. “I think that’s a big part of what I continue to look for every time  I look at a potential piece of legislation.”

Duncan and his wife, Brooke have three sons, live in south Forsyth and attend Browns Bridge Community Church.

He is a graduate of Chattahoochee High School in nearby Alpharetta and was a scholarship pitcher for Georgia Tech’s baseball team and played in the 1994 College World Series.

Following his junior season, he played six seasons in the then Florida Marlins farm system, where he reached the AAA level.

Duncan is CEO of Wellview Health Inc., which helps consumers navigate health care options, and also serves as the House Majority deputy whip.