AJC Analysis Reveals Challenges for Perdue Reelection Bid

AJC: “Much to the angst of Republicans, the latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll proves [Perdue’s] concerns correct,” that the state of Georgia is in play

ATLANTA — As Senator David Perdue’s race remains “neck-and-neck,” a new AJC analysis reports that Senator Perdue is facing the same challenges that have forced President Trump to play defense in Georgia as Perdue’s Democratic opponent, Jon Ossoff, is polling evenly with Perdue among independent voters, a voting bloc that has traditionally leaned Republican in Georgia. Perdue’s race being “up for grabs” reflects a consistent narrative surrounding Perdue’s reelection bid as “teetering on a knife’s edge,” or even trailing his Democratic opponent in recent polling. 

Senator Perdue infamously went back on his principle and refused to stand up to his own party by agreeing to move forward with whomever Trump nominates to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, despite not knowing if that person supports ending the Affordable Care Act and its coverage protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Additionally, questions from reporters still loom about whether or not Perdue was under investigation after taking heat for “heavy [stock] trading” just as the coronavirus outbreak was beginning to spread in the U.S. 

Mitch McConnell’s super PAC has also spent more money in Georgia than any other battleground Senate state to keep so-called “original outsider” (and actual “establishment player”) Perdue afloat as his failed leadership continues to be under scrutiny.

Read the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s analysis on why Perdue’s race is up for grabs: 

• “Long before U.S. Sen. David Perdue prepared to face the voters, he reminded conservative crowds that 2020 would not be the same sort of predictable affair that Republicans had encountered in previous statewide races.”

• “On the heels of Brian Kemp’s narrow victory in 2018′s race for governor, the first-term lawmaker told a crowd that they should rightly still feel shell-shocked by Democrats’ near miss. Later, he was recorded bluntly reminding activists that the “state of Georgia is in play.””

• “Much to the angst of Republicans, the latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll proves his concerns correct. The race has him running even with Democrat Jon Ossoff, an investigative journalist and former congressional candidate who has revived the fundraising juggernaut he built during his 2017 run.”

• “It’s no outlier: A series of recent polls show Ossoff and Perdue in a neck-and-neck race. Though the AJC’s poll was largely conducted before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death triggered a battle over a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, the race for Perdue’s seat has remained consistently close in the final stretch.”

• “A deeper dive into the numbers reveals why: Both candidates have consolidated support of their core constituencies, but there’s a sharp split among independents, a voting bloc that has traditionally leaned Republican in Georgia.”

• “This year, the divide has deepened. About 31% of independents support Ossoff, 31% back Perdue and 23% favor Libertarian Shane Hazel. An additional 15% are undecided.”

• “Perdue, too, is facing the same challenges that have forced President Donald Trump to play defense in Georgia, where he’s scheduled to visit Friday. Ossoff is polling at 29% support among white Georgia voters — well above the 21% mark that exit polls show Hillary Clinton hit in the state four years ago.”

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