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Perdue tiptoed into Georgia politics after suffering a humiliating loss to Democrat Jon Ossoff in 2021 and a crushing defeat in the Republican primary to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp a year later. He has returned.
After those losses, Mr. Perdue retreated from the spotlight, returning to his coastal home to start a new business and spend time with his wife, Bonnie, and his grandchildren, friends and associates said.
But in recent weeks, he has taken steps to establish himself as President Trump’s key surrogate in Georgia. He booked speaking engagements at local Republican Party meetings and helped raise money for Republican Courtney Kramer, who is challenging Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
And Mr. Perdue was one of the few co-hosts of a lavish Trump fundraiser this week at the St. Regis Atlanta, catching up with donors and operatives who packed the Buckhead hotel ballroom. We arrived early. (It cost $250,000 to be listed on the invitation as a co-sponsor, but in many cases current and former elected officials don’t have to put up that much money.)
Perdue aides have repeatedly said the wealthy former senator and former CEO of Fortune 500 companies Dollar General and Reebok has no interest in returning to Washington and is enjoying his private life. Stated.
But with his recent re-emergence on the political stage, one wonders whether Trump will become a more visible figure on the campaign trail, and if his comeback is successful, whether he will be seeking some kind of redemption. Questions have arisen as to whether he is trying to gain a position in the government.
Ten years ago, Mr. Perdue was one of the most popular Republicans in the state.
A self-described “political outsider,” he defeated a group of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to win the Republican nomination for a vacant U.S. Senate seat, and defeated Democrat Michelle Nunn, a family friend, to become president. was stolen.
His signature jean jacket transformed his image from a longtime executive to a commoner, making him one of the first Republicans in Georgia to align with President Trump’s populist brand.
Trump, Perdue and then-Senator Kelly Loeffler, who ran together in 2020, all lost. Perdue heeded Trump’s call for a showdown with Kemp rather than challenge Democrat Raphael Warnock for a possible return to the Senate in 2022.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
The campaign ended in disaster as Mr. Perdue doubled down on Mr. Trump’s election-fraud conspiracy theories and incited the former president’s supporters to chant “lock him up” over Mr. Kemp’s imprisonment. By the end of the campaign, even Trump distanced himself from Perdue. He lost that race by 52 percentage points.
In his concession speech, Mr. Perdue said the campaign was called so early that supporters could still make dinner reservations, but before that, he had to “face reality” and say he would not vote for the Democratic Party in the general election. quipped that he called for support for Kemp in defeating Stacey Abrams.
“I can’t explain the results. They go against what I’ve seen in the state,” he said. “But what we’re trying to do now is make sure Stacey Abrams doesn’t become governor.”
And he all but disappeared, staying out of the spotlight in contrast to other Georgia Republican mainstays in the 2020 campaign.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Loeffler founded the Greater Georgia Political Organization to promote the Republican cause. She and her husband have donated more than $2.6 million to Trump this election cycle. Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, also a Senate candidate, has a podcast and wrote a book in late 2021. Both men could seek statewide office in 2026.
Mr. Perdue, 74, has no plans to run for office again because he has never experienced day-to-day campaigning.
But Trump’s victory could open up other opportunities for business executives who were once seen as likely to be appointed to the Cabinet during Trump’s first term. (Mr. Perdue’s cousin, Sonny Perdue, served as Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump administration.)
“He was never a happy warrior on the campaign trail. But the president has a lot of attractive appointment power,” said Republican strategist Brian Robinson, adding that in Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. He pointed out that a member of the House of Representatives is already one of the MAGA supporters and is eager to win a post in the event of a second Trump administration.
“Of course, there are limited spots in Georgia, so we may have to compete with Greene for cabinet positions,” Robinson said.
Democrats say it’s time for Perdue to retire for good. State Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta) said Perdue has been thoroughly “embarrassed” over the past two election cycles and needs to move on.
“You should put on a jean jacket, sip tea on the balcony, and enjoy the sunset,” Holcomb says.
Mr. Cramer, who is running against Mr. Willis, is among the Republicans who say Mr. Perdue could be a key factor in November. She said she was grateful for his help in rallying conservative support for her long-term challenge at her latest fundraiser.
“Politicians come and go, but public servants, real public servants, never stop serving,” she said.
Mr. Perdue declined to comment for this article through an aide, but his public statements have been much the same as his messages for the past decade.
He talks about Georgia’s key role in the November election, which could see thousands of voters competing in a handful of battleground states. And he emphasizes his ties to Trump, who has done more to support Perdue than perhaps any other candidate in the 2022 cycle.
Credit: EPA
Credit: EPA
Perdue, who sounded melancholy at the Rome rally, said he was part of a small circle of insiders that Trump confided in after he took office in 2017, and how Trump “did things like a businessman would do.” He praised him for “how well he presented his agenda.” An outsider would do that. ”
“He’s doing his part. He’s done his part,” Perdue said. “There’s no mystery about who Donald Trump is. That’s what makes me so angry. Like Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan, you get what you pay for.”
His recent appearances have been normal, and he reiterated his intention to become more involved with the Trump campaign, telling an audience in Rome that “there’s still work to do” to support the former president.
“You can’t win the presidency without Georgia,” Perdue said. “And I want you to help me make that happen.”
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