David Perdue
David Perdue | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2016 | |
| United States Ambassador to China | |
Nominee | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Succeeding | R. Nicholas Burns |
| United States Senator from Georgia | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Saxby Chambliss |
| Succeeded by | Jon Ossoff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Alfred Perdue Jr. December 10, 1949 Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Bonnie Dunn (m. 1972) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Sonny Perdue (cousin) |
| Residence | Sea Island, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | Georgia Institute of Technology (BS, MS) |
| Occupation |
|
David Perdue (born December 10, 1949) is an American politician and businessman. He was the United States Senator from Georgia from January 3, 2015 until January 3, 2021. He is a member of the U.S. Republican Party.[1] Before becoming Senator, he was the CEO of Dollar General.
Early life
[change | change source]Perdue was born on December 10, 1949 in Macon, Georgia. The Perdue family had been wealthy in Georgia for some time, owning land and slaves during the 19th century.[2] Perdue graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
U.S. Senate
[change | change source]Perdue first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn, daughter of former U.S. senator Sam Nunn.
During his time in the senate, Perdue was connected to the 2020 congressional insider trading scandal for allegations of STOCK Act violations. He was said to have sold some stocks before the 2020 stock market crash by using knowledge from a closed Senate meeting.[3] The U.S. Department of Justice closed its inquiry in mid-2020 without bringing charges.[4]
He ran for re-election in 2020 against Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff. As neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the November 3 election, they face each other on the January 5, 2021 runoff election where Perdue lost to Ossoff.[5]
After the November 2020 presidential election, Perdue called for the resignation of Georgia's top elections official and claimed that there was fraud in the election.[5] He later supported a lawsuit by Trump allies trying to overturn the election results,[6] and falsely claimed during his 2022 gubernatorial election campaign that his 2020 Senate election was "stolen."[7][8][9]
Post-Senate career
[change | change source]In February 2021 a month after losing to Warnock, Perdue filled to run against him in the 2022 election.[10] However, a week later he announced that he would not run for the senate.[11]
In December 2021, he announced that he would run for Governor of Georgia, running against Governor Brian Kemp for the Republican nomination.[12] He lost the Republican nomination to Kemp in May 2022.[13]
U.S. Ambassador to China
[change | change source]In December 2024, Trump named Perdue as his nominee for United States Ambassador to China for his second administration.[14]
Personal life
[change | change source]Perdue married Bonnie Dunn in 1972. They have two children. His cousin Sonny Perdue was the United States Secretary of Agriculture.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Perdue, David". Office of Art and Archives and Office of the Historian, The United States Congress. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ↑ Wynn-Perdue, Gervaise (1984). James A. Perdue and descendants, 1822-1984. Warner Robins, Georgia: G. Wynn-Perdue. pp. 458–461. ISBN 978-0-9613474-0-6.
- ↑ Sheth, Sonam (April 7, 2020). "Sen. He bought stock in a company that produces protective medical equipment the same day senators received a classified briefing on the coronavirus". Business Insider. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ Kertscher, Tom (December 4, 2020). "A 'crook'? 'Totally exonerated'? Misleading claims about Ga. Sen. David Perdue and his stock trades". PolitiFact. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Niesse, Mark; Bluestein, Greg (November 9, 2020). "Citing no evidence, Georgia's U.S. senators demand elections head resign". ajc. Archived from the original on 2020-12-20. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ↑ Bluestein, Greg (December 9, 2020). "Trump warns Georgia AG not to rally other Republicans against Texas lawsuit". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ↑ Reimann, Nicholas (March 27, 2022). "'Lock Him Up' Chants Break Out At Trump Rally As Perdue Falsely Blames Georgia Gov. Kemp For Voter Fraud". Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
Perdue parroted the ex-president's longstanding false claims that widespread fraud robbed Trump of a win in the 2020 presidential election
- ↑ Dale, Daniel (April 21, 2022). "Fact Check: New David Perdue TV Ad Tells Two Election Lies at Once". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- ↑ "Perdue welcomes Trump to Georgia by embracing 'stolen' election lie". ajc. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
- ↑ Saul, Stephanie (2021-02-16). "David Perdue Files to Run Against Raphael Warnock for Georgia Senate Seat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ↑ "David Perdue won't be running for Senate, after all". WRDW-TV. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ↑ "David Perdue officially announces run for governor in Georgia, setting up primary challenge to Brian Kemp". CNN. December 6, 2021.
- ↑ Bunch, Riley (May 24, 2022). "Kemp stomps Trump-backed David Perdue in Georgia governor primary". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ↑ Pellish, Aaron. "Trump picks former Sen. David Perdue as China ambassador". CNN. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
Other websites
[change | change source]
Media related to David Perdue at Wikimedia Commons
- David Perdue, U.S. Senator for Georgia, Home Page Archived 2015-07-30 at the Wayback Machine