Perdue Kemp Primary? It’s all fun and games until someone runs against you

The political buzz in Georgia is that former U.S. Sen. David Perdue is seriously considering mounting a Republican primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp. Such a heavyweight matchup would become the race to watch next year as a divisive showdown between two big political figures will leave damages on the man left standing after the 2022 primary election.

Although Perdue has been mum about his plans, word has been anonymously leaking out from GOP activists and operatives saying Perdue has been calling donors and other allies to float the idea. Some say he is torn, while others say he looks forward to the challenge. 

Political watchers say one sign that the Perdue challenge to Kemp’s reelection may be real is Perdue’s failure to endorse Kemp after saying at a GOP convention earlier this year that he would do so.

Also in the backdrop is the voice of former President Donald Trump, who has been desperately seeking a challenger to Kemp. Trump, one of Kemp’s loudest critics, along with other republicans in the state have labeled Kemp a traitor for his refusal of Trump’s request to overturn the Georgia election results that had Trump losing to Joe Biden, who became President with his win in Georgia. At a recent rally in Georgia, Trump’s disdain for Kemp led him to tell the GOP crowd to vote for Democrat Stacey Abrams over Kemp.

Perdue, who narrowly lost his U.S. Senate seat in a January runoff to Jon Ossoff has ruled out running against Democrat Raphael Warnock next year for his senate seat.

Some say 71-year-old Perdue is close to Trump, who may have been wooing him behind the scenes to get into the race against Kemp. Perdue was one of Trump’s most loyal allies in the U.S. Senate and may be the candidate that he has been seeking to take on Kemp. Trump already has a candidate he is backing in the U.S. Senate primary in Georgia – Herschel Walker. The former University of Georgia football star has a slew of other candidates he must beat to win the GOP primary.

Another person who may be urging Perdue to run may be his first cousin, Sonny, a former Georgia Governor. Sonny had served in Trump’s Administration as Agriculture Secretary and was recently lobbying Kemp for the top role for the University System of Georgia. Some say his appointment to the state’s higher education system was blocked by Kemp after complaints mounted about Sonny’s lack of an educational background for this top educational role. The 19-member Board of Regents has been in the process of finding a successor to retiring Chancellor Steve Wrigley.

While we wait for confirmation of his intent, Perdue is building a new estate on Georgia’s coast while showing up at grassroots events across the state.

Meanwhile, Kemp is not running scared. He has been telling supporters his intent to run, regardless of who gets in the race in the republican primary. Kemp also has a war chest of about $9.2 million in cash on hand. Recent legislation Kemp signed this year will allow him to collect unlimited contributions.