Despite filing to run with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), former U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) says he will not mount a comeback bid against U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in 2022.
“After much reflection and prayer, Bonnie and I have decided that we will not enter the race for the United States Senate in 2022,” Perdue said in Tuesday press release. “This is a personal decision, not a political one. I am confident that whoever wins the Republican primary next year will defeat the Democrat candidate in the General election for this seat, and I will do everything I can to make that happen.”
“As we saw in my race in November, Georgia is not a blue state,” the release continued. “The more Georgians that vote, the better Republicans do. These two current liberal US Senators do not represent the values of a majority of Georgians.”
Perdue lost his reelection bid in the January runoff to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). That election was marred by controversy after the November elections, wherein President Joe Biden eked out a victory over former president Donald J. Trump after a historic number of Americans were allowed to vote using absentee ballots.
He made headlines last week when he filed paperwork with the FEC to run against U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who unseated former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) in January.
“I am hoping that the Georgia General Assembly, along with our statewide elected officials, will correct the inequities in our state laws and election rules so that, in the future, every legal voter will be treated equally and illegal votes will not be included,” Perdue’s statement said. “I will do everything I can to be helpful in this effort.”
The Georgia state legislature is currently tackling several issues related to absentee voting, including a bill that would eliminate “no-excuse” absentee voting, and set strict criteria for those who wish to vote without going to the polls.
“It has been the honor of my life to have represented the people of Georgia in the United States Senate,” the statement continued. “Bonnie and I want to thank my fantastic staff and everybody in the state and around the country for all the help they have given us. May God continue to bless Georgia and the United States of America.”
Loeffler, Perdue’s counterpart in the January U.S. Senate runoff, announced her founding of a conservative voter outreach organization called “Greater Georgia” Monday, aimed at mobilizing Republican voters in the Peach State. There is speculation that Loeffler could challenge Warnock in 2022, in what would be a rematch of the January runoff.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
