Former Sen. David Perdue Files For Potential 2022 Comeback Bid In Georgia

By Barbara Sprunt / NPR

Published February 16, 2021 at 4:00 AM PST

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

Former GOP Sen. David Perdu from Georgia, seen here during a campaign rally in December, has filed paperwork with the FEC to potentially run for Senate again.

David Perdue has taken the first step on the road back to the U.S. Senate, filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Monday to set up a potential political comeback in the Peach State in 2022.

The former Georgia senator's paperwork is a preliminary step; he has not yet announced his intention to run.

Perdue lost a historic runoff election in January to Democrat Jon Ossoff, one of a pair of losses for Republicans in the state that handed control of the U.S. Senate over to Democrats.

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Perdue, an ally of former President Donald Trump, lost the state in the runoff election by 55,000 votes. Many Republicans blamed Trump for hurting, not helping, Republican candidates in Georgia.

If Perdue decides to run, he'd be seeking the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler by two percentage points in a special election last month.

The victor of the 2022 race will serve a full term.