Perdue on potential 2022 run: GOP must regain the Senate

Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) confirmed Monday he is mulling running for the Senate again in 2022 after he lost his seat in a January runoff. 

Perdue, who was defeated in his bid for a second term by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), is considering challenging Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) next year. Ossoff won a full term in January and will not be up for reelection until 2026, but Warnock won a special election to serve the remainder of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-Ga.) term and will have to run for a full term of his own in 2022. 

In a statement explaining his consideration, Perdue cast both Ossoff and Warnock as radical, a common GOP attack line, and said the Georgia Senate race will likely play a crucial role for both parties in determining control of the upper chamber next year. 

“First, Georgia is not a blue state and yet, as I write this today, the people of Georgia are represented by two of the most radically liberal individuals to ever occupy a seat on the hallowed floor of the United States Senate,” Perdue said in the statement. “They do not fairly represent most Georgians.”

“Second, we need to regain the Republican majority in the US Senate to change the direction of the country,” he continued. “Because we already have clear evidence of how radical the Biden administration will be, it is imperative that Republicans regain the majority in the US Senate in 2022 to have balanced government.”

Bonnie and I are considering running in 2022. Here’s my note on why: pic.twitter.com/Wnyt0tB3th

— David Perdue (@Perduesenate) February 16, 2021

The statement from Perdue came a day after he filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.

The GOP is anticipated to heavily contest Warnock’s seat in a state where Republicans still hold significant sway. While President Biden won Georgia in November and Ossoff and Warnock won their Senate seats, the state still has a conservative bent. And on top of that, the party that holds the White House often loses congressional seats in the first midterm of a new administration. 

It’s not clear if Perdue would clear the GOP field if he jumped into the race, but he would likely be viewed as a top contender. His campaign had $5.7 million left over in its account after the runoff.

Other Republicans who may challenge Warnock include former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R), whom Warnock defeated in January, and former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.).

Every Senate seat will be crucial in the 2022 midterms given Democrats’ razor-thin majority. The chamber is split 50-50, and Democrats have control only because of Vice President Harris’s tiebreaking vote, meaning that a net gain of one for the GOP will win the party the majority.