WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Senator David Perdue launched a bid for Georgia governor on Monday, challenging fellow Republican Governor Brian Kemp and deepening an intra-party rift driven by former President Donald Trump ahead of two critical elections in 2022.
Whichever Republican wins the party's nomination, they will likely face voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who said last week she would make a second run for governor in the election battleground state. read more
"I'm running for governor to make sure Stacey Abrams is never the governor of Georgia," Perdue said in a 2-1/2 minute video that labeled Kemp as incapable of defeating Abrams, despite his narrow victory over her in 2018.
"Look, I like Brian. This isn't personal. It's simple. He has failed all of us and cannot win in November," Perdue said.
Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won Georgia in the 2020 presidential contest. Trump's false claims about election fraud have been blamed for dividing Georgia Republicans before a pair of U.S. Senate run-off elections in January, which handed Democrats their current Senate majority.
Georgia will host two more big elections next year, one for the governorship and another for the Senate seat held by Democrat Raphael Warnock, who faces a possible 2022 match-up against Republican Herschel Walker, a retired NFL star who has Trump's backing.
Perdue, a 71-year-old businessman, narrowly lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff in January.
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