Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue will announce his candidacy for Georgia governor on Monday, according to published reports on Sunday.
Citing unnamed sources, Politico reported that Perdue has been actively recruited to seek the Republican nomination from sitting GOP Gov. Brian Kemp by former President Donald Trump.
The story comes several days after Democrat Stacey Abrams, who barely lost to Kemp in the 2018 governor’s race, announced she was launching another bid for the office.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported that Perdue would be announcing, saying that he “has told allies he was motivated to join the race because he fears Kemp can’t defeat the Democrat again.”
Perdue, who lost his Senate seat earlier this year, had considered running in 2022 against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is completing the term won in 2016 by the now-retired Johnny Isakson.
Trump narrowly lost Georgia in the 2020 presidential race, and was critical of Kemp for not working to overturn the election results.
Kemp has come under fire from some Georgia Republicans for that and other reasons.
In October, the Cobb County Republican Party passed a resolution censuring Kemp, over immigration and COVID-19 passports and not over issues directly related to Trump or the elections.
That action prompted the resignation of former chairman Jason Shepherd from the county committee. The Cobb Young Republicans then denounced the censure.
Former Democratic legislator Vernon Jones, a declared Republican gubernatorial candidate, has been trying to court Trump supporters with his criticisms of Kemp.
The former president held a rally in September in Perry, Ga., suggesting support for Abrams.
“Having her, I think, might be better than having your existing governor, if you want to know what I think,” he said.
Kemp recently received an endorsement from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Trump’s complaints about the election results being “rigged” in Georgia diminished Republican interest in the January U.S. Senate runoffs.
Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who had been appointed by Kemp to succeed Isakson until the 2020 elections, were unseated by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Warnock, respectively.
Trump also is backing Herschel Walker, the former University of Georgia football star, who is running as a Republican for the U.S. Senate seat held by Warnock.
There’s also a GOP primary forming that includes Georgia Agriculture Secretary Gary Black.
Related posts:
- Abrams announces another campaign for Georgia governor
- McBath to leave 6th Congressional District after reapportionment
- Education SPLOST votes by East Cobb precincts
- Cobb Education SPLOST VI referendum approved easily
- Cobb schools push SPLOST with World Series pitch
- Cobb superintendent defends SPLOST funding distribution
- Walton cluster parent announces campaign for Cobb school board
- Family law attorney to run for Cobb Superior Court judge
- Cobb school board member announces for state school superintendent
- East Cobb Politics and Elections Guide
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