Perdue’s Weak Candidacy Headed Into Tuesday Runoff

ATLANTA — Since being forced into a January runoff, Senator David Perdue’s struggling campaign has spiraled downward, despite a flood of outside money pumping millions of dollars into Georgia to keep Perdue’s collapsing campaign afloat. After a host of corrupt stock trading scandals, efforts to peddle reckless conspiracy theories about Georgia’s election results, and cynical flip-flopping on stimulus checks, Perdue is in a historically weak position going into Tuesday’s runoff. 

Here’s a rundown of Perdue’s corruption and self-inflicted liabilities since November’s Election Day as he stares down a highly competitive runoff:

Corrupt stock trades

A litany of financial abuse scandals plagued Perdue, exposing the Senate’s “most prolific stock trader” as the poster-child for corruption in Washington only out to enrich himself, making shady stock trades in industries he oversaw as a Senator. A brutal CNN analysis revealed that in just the five years Perdue has been in office, he conducted 2,560 stock trades –– more than “the next seven most prolific Senate stock traders combined.” Scrutiny of Perdue’s “unusual,” “well-timed,” and “suspicious” stock trades has dogged Perdue throughout the campaign. 

Hiding from Georgians and reporters

Perdue, known for being “among the Senate’s most absent members,” and a “frequent no-show” spent weeks refusing to take public questions from his constituents or the press, extended his six year streak of never holding a public town hall, and refused to debate Jon Ossoff – only to be “represented by an empty podium.” Perdue’s behavior is a stark reminder of his failed, absent leadership. 

Peddling reckless election conspiracy theories

Perdue failed to condemn baseless claims regarding Georgia’s election results, leading a top Republican state election official to slam Perdue for being “complicit” in harassment and threats against Georgia election workers. After the official called on Perdue to condemn the dangerous behavior, adding “that shouldn’t be too much to ask,” Perdue’s spokesperson refused to apologize despite “no evidence of large-scale voter fraud.”

Ties to China and outsourcing American jobs

Along with Perdue’s sordid financial abuses, the former corporate CEO was exposed as an “expert in outsourcing” and scrutinized for his extensive ties to China and long record of working to shift American jobs and manufacturing overseas. Although Perdue has made fearmongering about China central to his flailing re-election campaign, The Washington Post and The New York Times published detailed reports exposing Perdue’s extensive “work with the Chinese government,” and highlighting how Perdue was “a very key figure in terms of establishing relationships with the Chinese government.”

Opposing increased stimulus checks

Perdue “cav[ed] to pressure from Democrats,” flip flopping on his opposition to stimulus checks in a desperate stunt to try to save his own political future and fool Georgians. After spending all year being “personally opposed” to and having “fought against” direct relief for Georgians, Perdue refuses to call on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on delivering $2,000 in direct payments. 

“Perdue has shown himself to be an absent, corrupt Senator with a backwards priority of lining his own pockets instead of delivering results for Georgia families who need relief during a pandemic,” said Braxton Brewington, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Georgians will rebuke Perdue and his efforts to enrich himself at the ballot box because they’re tired of politicians like Perdue putting himself first while families and small businesses suffer.”

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