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A Trump endorsement for former Sen. David Perdue didn’t sway Georgia voters in 2021, when the incumbent Republican lost to Democrat Jon Ossoff in a runoff election that helped hand control of the Senate to Democrats.
But second time’s the charm?
Perdue is now campaigning for governor against incumbent Republican Brian Kemp, whom Trump has disavowed ever since he refused to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. And Perdue, unlike Kemp, has Trump’s “complete and total endorsement.”
To prove it, Perdue’s first campaign ad is Trump bashing Kemp and extolling Perdue’s virtues. “David Perdue is an outstanding man,” he says. “He’s tough, he’s smart, he has my complete and total endorsement.” Meanwhile, a series of imperatives flashes on the screen: “STOP STACEY. SAVE GEORGIA. VOTE PERDUE.”
Yes, this ad is literally just a video of Trump talking at a camera. Perdue is included only as stock photo.
I guess that’s one way to prove you’re a leader.
It’s unclear how far a Trump endorsement will take Perdue, but Trump is certainly confident in his campaign-boosting abilities. In a statement released today, Trump said, “The Failing New York Times refuses to acknowledge that the power of the Trump endorsement is far stronger today than ever before—it is virtually unblemished!”
It remains to be seen whether a fairly popular incumbent or a Trump-backed former senator would fare better against Stacey Abrams, the presumptive Democratic candidate who narrowly lost to Kemp in 2018. One thing’s certain: This is going to be an essential race to keep on eye on in the 2022 election cycle.
