Reports came out Wednesday night that most of Georgia’s Republican state senators sent former U.S. Sen. David Perdue a letter in November, pleading with him not to run for governor against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.
Ten days ago, at the urging of former President Donald Trump, Perdue announced his intentions to push forward, throwing the GOP primary into chaos.
Related: David Perdue Ignites GOP Civil War In Georgia
Trump’s anger at anyone “disloyal” to him concerns Republicans who’d rather not divide or weaken the party in a crucial state ahead of elections where the party should otherwise succeed.
Trump was notoriously irate after Kemp declined to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 win in the Peach State.
About 70% of the state senate’s 34 Republicans told Perdue he “made us proud” during his time in Washington but asked him to endorse Kemp to help the party’s chances in the general election. (Perdue lost his seat — and Republicans’ overall control of the U.S. Senate — to 33-year-old Jon Ossoff in January by about 55,000 votes.)
Thirty-one state senators already endorsed Kemp, who’s been praised for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and Georgia’s strong economy.
When Republicans unite, we know we can win. We beat Stacey Abrams in 2018, and together, we’ll do it again. #gapol pic.twitter.com/HdqlJ1gcaQ
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) December 15, 2021
Perdue acknowledged he saw the letter but claims it did not affect his decision.
“This is what career politicians do,” he told Axios. “They think that endorsements among each other can elbow an outsider out of a race. People who vote don’t care about that. You know who cares about that? Career politicians. And that’s what’s so ironic, ludicrous, for 20-something state senators to send a letter like that, thinking that I’m going to be moved one way or the other.”
State Sen. John Albers called the “career politicians” characterization “concerning and wholly inaccurate,” especially since most have been in politics less time than Perdue.
“We want to unify our GOP and focus on winning in November 2022,” Albers added. “Our GOP and state must be unified behind our governor with a positive message to keep Georgia conservative and moving forward.”
The Republican primary winner will face Stacey Abrams, the left-wing conspiracy theorist who lost to Kemp by 55,000 votes in 2018.
There are no legitimate polls yet, though Breitbart News laughably promoted an “exclusive poll”earlier this week from Trump’s personal pollster, showing Perdue’s “commanding lead” of 3% — with a 3.4% margin of error.
