Several high-profile former Republicans who have become vocal critics of President Donald Trump are running in Democratic primaries across the country, but early results show their new party’s voters have not embraced their candidacies.

In Georgia, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan finished a distant fourth in the Democratic primary for governor last month, nearly 50 points behind winner and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Duncan broke with Trump over his claims of a stolen election in Georgia in 2020 and campaigned with Democrats during the 2024 cycle.

In Pennsylvania, Ryan Crosswell, a Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor who left the Justice Department last year after being ordered to drop a corruption case against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, fell by 20 points in a battleground House primary. He lost to state firefighters union head Bob Brooks, who consolidated support from national Democrats and Gov. Josh Shapiro.

What the Right Is Saying

Anti-Trump former Republicans who spoke with NBC News pushed back on the notion that their party history disqualifies them from Democratic support. They argue they have been directly targeted by the president and his allies, giving them unique experience in opposing him.

Former Pence adviser Olivia Troye, who left the White House in 2020 and announced a congressional run in Virginia’s newly drawn 7th District before ending her campaign after redistricting changes, said the party should evaluate candidates as individuals rather than by their former affiliation.

"I think that the Democratic Party needs to look at people as individuals and understand their politics a little better than a broad brushstroke on people who are former Republicans or anti-Trump," Troye said. "Because I think that while we do all fall under that umbrella, everyone is different in where they stand."

Crosswell argued that his past party affiliation was used as an attack by rivals despite connecting with some of the staunchest Democrats he met during his campaign.

"I think a message that resonates, whether you speak to a Republican, whether you speak to an independent or whether you speak to a Democrat, is people are tired of losing family and friends over politics," Crosswell said. "And I think that it’s become particularly toxic since Donald Trump came on the scene."

George Conway, running for New York’s 12th District seat, said he disagrees with those who view the Democratic Party as purely anti-Trump but believes fighting Trump must come first.

"My pitch to voters is that we all oppose Trump, and we all support initiatives to make life for New Yorkers and Americans generally more affordable," Conway said. "The thing that has to come first is addressing Trumpism and fighting it tooth and nail by having a Congress that actually is going to hold the executive to account."

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic strategists say primary voters are increasingly skeptical of candidates whose party-switching is their primary qualification. Andrew Mamo, a spokesperson for The Bench, a group that worked with Brooks in Pennsylvania, said the political environment has shifted since 2018.

"Every former Republican is fantastic to have, but I think there is a real change from 2018," Mamo said. "It is much more about authenticity and who have you always been, and what have your fights looked like."

Democratic strategist Eric Stern, who counts Brooks as a client, reflected on how the party approached anti-Trump Republicans in recent cycles. He noted that campaign strategies involving figures like former Rep. Liz Cheney during the 2024 election may not be repeated.

"Based on what we know now, I would be surprised if you had Kamala Harris out there campaigning with Liz Cheney," Stern said. "That was a strategic choice the party made that, based on the results, we absolutely would not make now."

Some Democrats argue that working-class backgrounds and district-level experience matter more than opposition to Trump alone. Brooks focused on his roots in the community while Crosswell emphasized what he called a "No Kings" message against Trump.

What the Numbers Show

In Georgia’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, Duncan finished approximately 50 percentage points behind Bottoms in a four-candidate race. Polling data for Conway’s New York House bid showed him in fourth place with 9% support in an Emerson College survey released last month.

Crosswell outraised Brooks in Pennsylvania’s 7th District, though outside spending on behalf of Brooks proved decisive. The most successful candidate among this group may be former Rep. David Jolly of Florida, who is running for governor as a Democrat and holds a primary lead in polling.

The Bottom Line

The early primary results suggest Democratic voters are applying skepticism to candidates whose primary qualification is opposition to Trump rather than alignment with progressive policy positions or long-standing ties to the party base. Strategists from both perspectives say authenticity and consistent political identity matter more to primary voters than they did during earlier waves of Republican defections. Several more races involving anti-Trump former Republicans remain on the 2026 calendar, including Conway’s Manhattan House bid, which will test whether these candidates can find a path to victory or whether party-switching continues to face voter resistance.