Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) announced Monday he’ll run for governor of Georgia, potentially setting up a GOP primary fight with Gov. Brian Kemp.
“I’m running for governor to make sure Stacey Abrams is never governor of Georgia,” Perdue said in a video that was posted on his campaign website. Abrams, an activist who lost her gubernatorial bid to Kemp several years ago, announced that she would run for the Democratic Party’s nomination in Georgia several days ago.
Perdue on Monday took aim at Kemp, saying the Republican governor “has failed all of us and cannot win in November” and also criticized Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger. Both have been heavily criticised by former President Donald Trump over how they handled the 2020 election in the state.
In a January runoff election, Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff. That same runoff election also saw Democrat Raphael Warnock unseat then-incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.)—taking away Republicans’ control of the upper congressional chamber.
“I’m running for Governor to make sure Stacey Abrams is NEVER Governor of Georgia,” Perdue also wrote in a Twitter post accompanying the clip. “We need bold conservatives who will stand up to the woke left, not cave to their radical demands. Join me in this fight to Stop Stacey and Save Georgia.”
Following the outcome of the 2020 election, Kemp has been subject to scorn by Trump and many of his supporters, who say the governor hasn’t done enough to secure Georgia’s election systems.
In a statement after Abrams’ announcement, Trump said that he believes his supporters won’t throw their support behind Kemp.
“The MAGA base will just not vote for him after … two horribly run elections,” Trump said of Kemp. “But some good Republican will run, and some good Republican will get my endorsement, and some good Republican will WIN!” the former commander-in-chief added.
In what appears to be a preview of a bruising Republican primary, a spokesperson for Kemp, Cody Hall, issued a statement criticizing Perdue’s gubernatorial bid, suggesting the former senator would lose to Abrams in next year’s election.
Perdue is the “man who lost Republicans the United States Senate,” Hall asserted, “and brought the last year of skyrocketing inflation, open borders, runaway government spending, and woke cancel culture upon the American people.”
“Perdue’s only reason for running is to soothe his own bruised ego, because his campaign for U.S Senate failed to inspire voters at the ballot box—twice,” Hall told media outlets on Monday.
But regardless of who secures the Republican nomination, the GOP is hoping to ride a wave of momentum that saw their Virginia gubernatorial candidate, Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, defeating former Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe, as well as a race for New Jersey’s governor’s seat, during last month’s elections.
As a result, some Democratic strategists and members of Congress have sounded the alarm over recent Republican wins, arguing that Democrats and even President Joe Biden need to change their messaging—not policies.
The Epoch Times has contacted Kemp’s office for comment.
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Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter at The Epoch Times based in New York.
