Sources close to former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., confirm to InsiderAdvantage that he will announce at 9:30 a.m. on Monday that he will run for governor in the May Republican primary against Gov. Brian Kemp. As of today, though, Perdue spokesperson Austin Chambers will neither officially confirm nor deny.
The only other announced GOP gubernatorial candidate is Democrat-turned Republican former state Rep. Vernon Jones, a pro-Trump candidate (although former President Donald Trump has declined to endorse him). Jones fired off an angry Sunday media release saying that he’s staying in the race. But InsiderAdvantage hears speculation that, in light of the Perdue announcement, Jones may have to weigh whether to run for another office or perhaps smooth things over and work with the Trump campaign. The former president has already publicly said that he hoped Perdue would run against Kemp, and his endorsement of the former senator would be significant with Georgia’s GOP voter base.
While many Republicans fear a divided party going into the November general election no matter who their governor nominee is, many on the political center-right believe the Perdue announcement will be a blessing. Says one prominent GOP lawmaker: “Both Perdue and Kemp are going to have to explain to the electorate why they would be the best candidate to defeat radical Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. But here’s the bottom line: A Republican governor candidate cannot win the general without a united base— and that includes the Trumpers.”
