Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (R-GA) declared Wednesday on “CNN’s This Mornings” the 2022 election results showed it was time for the Republican Party to put former President Donald Trump “in the rearview mirror.”

Duncan said, “I think a lot of Republicans like me are waking up this morning [and thinking] “what could have been?” What could have been if we had picked a better candidate that could have won with a margin like Brian Kemp? That could have been able to put real leadership on display, put real ideas on display for the hearts and minds of Georgians, and turned the state back to being fully red.”

Co-host Kaitlan Collins said, “Brian Kemp had this resounding victory despite the fact that Trump once predicted he was going to go down in flames at the ballot box. He defeated his Trump-backed opponent in the primary and, of course, had a big victory last night. What message does that send, do you think?”

Duncan said, “I think it sends a message to the country, along with other states, that this is really a pivot point for the Republican Party. This is a time that Donald Trump is now in the rearview mirror, and it’s time to move on with the party. It’s time to move on with candidate quality. It turns out Mitch McConnell knew what he was talking about with candidate quality. We saw it in Georgia and other places around the country. If they would have woken up 12 months ago and stopped taking his lead and took the lead of what real Republicans and real Republican policies mattered, we’d be in a different place.”

He added, “It’s time to turn the page. I’m ready to move on. I think Donald Trump is moving from a movement to a distraction for the Republican Party now.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN