David Perdue

David Alfred Perdue Jr. (/pərˈduː/; born December 10, 1949) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States Senator for Georgia since 2015. A Republican, he is a first cousin of Sonny Perdue, former Governor of Georgia and current United States Secretary of Agriculture. He became Georgia's senior Senator after Johnny Isakson resigned on December 31, 2019.

"Senator Perdue" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Perdue (disambiguation).

David Perdue
United States senator
from Georgia
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Serving with Kelly Loeffler
Preceded bySaxby Chambliss
Personal details
Born
David Alfred Perdue Jr.

(1949-12-10) December 10, 1949
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Bonnie Perdue
Children2
RelativesSonny Perdue (cousin)
EducationGeorgia Institute of Technology
(BS, MS)
Net worth$15.8 million (2018)[1]
WebsiteSenate website

Perdue started his business career with more than a decade as a management consultant at Kurt Salmon Associates. He later became vice president at Sara Lee Corporation, senior vice president of operations for Haggar Clothing, and president and CEO of Reebok. After a short stint at Pillowtex, Perdue became CEO of Dollar General. He later became a senior consultant at Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd. (GHCL). In 2010, Perdue was appointed to the Georgia Ports Authority. In 2011, he formed Perdue Partners, an Atlanta-based global trading firm, with Sonny Perdue.

Perdue ran for U.S. Senate in 2014. After winning a Republican primary, he defeated Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn in the general election. Perdue is running for re-election in 2020.

Early life, education, and family

David Perdue was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of David Alfred Perdue Sr., and the former Gervaise Wynn, both schoolteachers.[2][3][4] David Perdue Sr. was the elected Democratic superintendent of schools for Houston County, Georgia, for twenty years, from 1960 to 1980, where he oversaw the desegregation of the school system during his tenure.[5]

Perdue was raised in Warner Robins, Georgia, and graduated from Northside High School in 1968.[6][7] He left Warner Robins to start school at the United States Air Force Academy on June 23, 1968, after receiving an appointment from Congressman Jack Brinkley of Georgia.[8]

Perdue did not finish at the Air Force Academy, but went on to earn a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering (1972) and a master's degree in operations research (1975), both from Georgia Tech.[9][10]

Perdue married Bonnie Dunn in August 1972.[11] The couple lives in Sea Island, Georgia.[12] The couple had a daughter who died in infancy[13] and have two sons, David A. Perdue III and Blake Perdue, and three grandchildren.[9][12] David Perdue Jr. is the first cousin of former Georgia governor and current United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.[14]

Business career

Perdue began his career at Kurt Salmon Associates, an international consulting firm, where he worked for twelve years as a management consultant.[15] His first major corporate job was as senior vice president of Asia operations for Sara Lee Corporation, a position he took in 1992. His time at Sara Lee was followed by a stint at Haggar Clothing, where he became senior vice president of operations in 1994.[16]

In 1998, Perdue joined Reebok as a senior vice president, eventually rising to president and CEO. He left the company after it was bought out by Adidas.[17] Perdue is credited with significantly reducing the company's debt and reviving its sneaker line. Perdue negotiated a contract with the National Football League that a former Reebok executive referred to as "revolutionary" for repositioning the company's shoe brand.[3]

After Reebok, Perdue went to work as CEO of Pillowtex, a North Carolina textile company. The company had recently emerged from bankruptcy with a heavy debt load and an underfunded pension liability. Perdue was unable to obtain additional funding from the company's investors and later was unsuccessful in finding a buyer for the company. He left the company in 2003 after nine months on the job and $1.7 million in compensation. Pillowtex closed several months later, leaving 7,650 workers out of work nationwide. With more than 4,000 jobs lost statewide, the closing of Pillowtex resulted in the largest single-day job loss in North Carolina history at the time.[18]

After leaving Pillowtex, Perdue became CEO of Dollar General.[19] Prior to his joining the company, it had recently overstated profits by $100 million and paid $162 million to settle shareholder lawsuits. Perdue overhauled the company's inventory line and logistics network, and updated its marketing strategy. After initially closing hundreds of stores, the company doubled its stock price and opened 2,600 new stores.[3] Perdue is credited for arranging the sale of Dollar General in 2007 to private equity investors KKR. Perdue reportedly earned $42 million after the buy-out deal and Dollar General paid millions of dollars to settle shareholder lawsuits alleging that Perdue and other executives undersold shareholders.[17]

From 2007 to 2009, Perdue worked as a senior consultant for Indian chemical and textile conglomerate Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.[20]

In April 2011, he started Perdue Partners, an Atlanta-based global trading firm,[3] with his cousin, former Georgia governor, Sonny Perdue.[21] In 2012, Perdue Partners acquired Benton Express, an Atlanta-based logistics company.[22]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has described Perdue as having a "mixed" business record, but says that he was "known on Wall Street as a turnaround specialist who helps revive brands and reap rewards for investors."[3][17]

In May 2020, Perdue announced that his financial advisors would no longer buy and sell individual stocks after his portfolio was scrutinized during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[23]

U.S. Senate
Perdue with Neil Gorsuch in 2017
Perdue with Brett Kavanaugh in 2018

2014 U.S. Senate campaign
Main article: 2014 United States Senate election in Georgia

Perdue touted his business experience, and particularly his experience at Dollar General, in running for political office as a Republican candidate. According to Perdue: "We added about 2,200 stores, created almost 20,000 jobs and doubled the value of that company in a very short period of time. Not because of me, but because we listened to our customers and employees." He received the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business.[24]

Perdue's political opponents targeted his business career during the campaign, specifically for outsourcing work offshore. Perdue said he was "proud of" finding lower-cost labor for some companies. Critics noted that he had contributed to a total of thousands of jobs lost following the final closure of Pillowtex, while Perdue left the company after nine months with a nearly $2 million buyout.[18][24] After being elected, Perdue stated that he wanted to bring the perspective of "a working person" to Washington, D.C.

Reports also highlighted the overlap between Perdue's role as a Director of the Georgia Ports Authority from 2010-2013 and his founding with his cousin and former Governor Sonny Perdue of Perdue Partners, which acquired in 2012 a global logistics firm that provided transloading services at the Georgia ports.[25][26]

The race was considered to be competitive. Perdue won the general election, defeating the Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn 52.89% to 45.21%.[27]

2020 U.S. Senate campaign
Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Georgia

Perdue is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2020.[28]

During this campaign, Perdue ran an ad in which the nose of his opponent, Jon Ossoff, was enlarged; the use of an anti-Semitic trope was criticized as a dog whistle reference to Ossoff's Jewish heritage.[29][30][31] The ad also featured Ossoff's image next to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both of whom are Jewish, and said Democrats are trying to "buy Georgia," with a link to raise funds for Perdue's campaign.[29][30][31] Perdue's campaign pulled the ad after receiving criticism,[31] and said it was an "inadvertent error" and that his design firm had applied a filter which distorted the image.[29][30]

Tenure

At a 2018 campaign event for Brian Kemp, Perdue was asked a question about voter suppression by a student member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. Perdue snatched the student's phone, which was being used to record, away from the student.[32]

In June 2016, at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority conference, Perdue said, "We should pray for Barack Obama. But I think we need to be very specific about how we pray. We should pray like Psalms 109:8 says. It says, 'Let his days be few, and let another have his office'".[33] In a statement, Perdue's office clarified: "He in no way wishes harm to our president and everyone in the room understood that".[34]

With a net worth of $15.8 million, Perdue is one of the wealthiest members of the Senate.[35]

Committee assignments

Caucuses

Political positions

Environment and climate change

Perdue has criticized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and supported Trump's appointment of Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator, saying in 2017, "Outside of eliminating the EPA altogether, Scott Pruitt is the next best thing."[36] Perdue was one of 22 Republican senators to sign a letter to Trump, urging him to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.[37][38] According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Perdue has received over $180,000 from oil, gas and coal interests between 2012 and 2017.[38]

Donald Trump

Perdue is a close ally of Trump.[39][40] Perdue fought to prevent the Senate from blocking the Chinese telecom firm ZTE from purchasing American components.[41] The Commerce Department had barred ZTE from doing so for seven years after it accused the firm of having deceived US regulators and violated sanctions on Iran and North Korea.[41] In July 2018, Perdue said that he opposed tariffs but that he would support President Trump on his tariff increases.[39]

On January 11, 2018, Perdue attended a meeting at the White House where, according to people with direct knowledge of the conversation, Trump called Haiti, El Salvador and African countries "shithole nations" and said the United States should not take in immigrants from these countries.[42] Perdue stated that he did not recall Trump making those specific statements.[43][44][45] Three days later, on ABC's This Week, Perdue said he now remembered that Trump did not use those words.[46]

Economy
Perdue at the 2016 Republican National Convention

In December 2017, Perdue voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Perdue voted in favor of the 2017 budget, which could add as much as $1.5 trillion to deficits over ten years, because he said the tax cuts could lead to more revenue due to the economic growth they would encourage.[47]

He supports a constitutional balanced budget amendment.[48]

In September 2018, Perdue was one of six Republican senators (along with Jeff Flake, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Ben Sasse, and Pat Toomey), as well as Bernie Sanders, who voted against a $854 billion spending bill for the Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor and Education departments, meant to avoid a government shutdown.[49]

Foreign policy

In April 2018, Perdue was one of eight Republican senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin and acting Secretary of State John Sullivan expressing "deep concern" over a report by the United Nations exposing "North Korean sanctions evasion involving Russia and China" and asserting that the findings "demonstrate an elaborate and alarming military-venture between rogue, tyrannical states to avoid United States and international sanctions and inflict terror and death upon thousands of innocent people" while calling it "imperative that the United States provides a swift and appropriate response to the continued use of chemical weapons used by President Assad and his forces, and works to address the shortcomings in sanctions enforcement."[50]

In March 2017, Perdue co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), a proposed bill that would make it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[51][52]

In November 2019, Perdue blocked a vote on recognizing the Armenian Genocide after receiving a White House request to do so.[53]

In January 2020, Perdue expressed support for the US military's assassination of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani by drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport.[54][55]

Health care

Perdue supports repealing and replacing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[56]

Immigration

In 2017, Perdue and Tom Cotton were co-sponsors of the RAISE Act, an immigration reductionist proposal that would cut legal immigration to the United States by 50% over a ten-year period, restrict family reunification part of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, eliminate the diversity visa lottery, and create a points-based immigration system that would favor skilled immigrants.[57]

In June 2019, Perdue supported Trump's decision to place tariffs on Mexico unless illegal immigration from Mexico stopped. Perdue said, "He has to use a hammer. We're being invaded right now."[58]

COVID-19
Republican Senator Tom Cotton (left) with President Donald Trump and Senator David Perdue (right).

In April 2020, Perdue was one of nearly 100 lawmakers to be appointed to Trump's Congressional Economic Task Force.[59]

Education

Perdue opposes the Common Core plan, which Georgia Republican leaders adopted in 2010, and then turned against. Perdue said he supported the "the original intent" of Common Core but took issue with "the details" and "how it's going to be administered," saying "Common Core has become overreaching and should be abandoned."[60]

Electoral history
U.S. Senate Republican Primary election in Georgia, 2014[61]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Perdue 185,466 30.64%
Republican Jack Kingston 156,157 25.80%
Republican Karen Handel 132,944 21.96%
Republican Phil Gingrey 60,735 10.03%
Republican Paul Broun 58,297 9.63%
Republican Derrick Grayson 6,045 1.00%
Republican Arthur "Art" Gardner 5,711 0.94%
U.S. Senate Republican Primary Runoff election in Georgia, 2014[62]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Perdue 245,951 50.88%
Republican Jack Kingston 237,448 49.12%
U.S. Senate election in Georgia, 2014[63]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Perdue 1,358,088 52.89%
Democratic Michelle Nunn 1,160,811 45.21%
Libertarian Amanda Swafford 48,862 1.90%
Write-in Anantha Reddy Muscu 21 0.00%
Write-in Mary Schroder 14 0.00%
Write-in Brian Russell Brown 9 0.00%

References
  1. "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  2. "Perdue Campaign Releases New TV Ad: "Georgia Values"". Perdue Senate. October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  3. Bluestein, Greg (August 8, 2013). "David Perdue's business background looms large in Senate run". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. Wynn-Perdue, Gervaise (1984). James A. Perdue and descendants, 1822–1984. G. Wynn-Perdue. ISBN 9780961347406.
  5. "Houston home journal. (Perry, Houston County, Ga.) 1924-1994, December 04, 1980, Image 1 « Georgia Historic Newspapers". gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  6. Hohmann, James (July 22, 2014). "Georgia Republican Senate runoff: 5 things to watch". Politico. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  7. George, Tom (March 2, 2014). "David Perdue announces Senate bid in Warner Robins". WMAZ. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  8. "Houston home journal. (Perry, Houston County, Ga.) 1924-1994, June 27, 1968, Image 4 « Georgia Historic Newspapers". gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  9. "Republican David Perdue's life at a glance". Associated Press. July 12, 2014. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  10. "David Perdue's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  11. "Houston home journal. (Perry, Houston County, Ga.) 1924-1994, August 03, 1972, Page 10-C, Image 40 « Georgia Historic Newspapers". gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  12. Gillooly, Jon (February 16, 2014). "Senate hopeful Perdue weighs in on hot-button issues". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  13. "Houston home journal. (Perry, Houston County, Ga.) 1924-1994, July 01, 1976, Page 16-A, Image 16 « Georgia Historic Newspapers". gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  14. Ball, M. (May 21, 2014). "Meet David Perdue—He Might Be Georgia's Next Senator". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  15. "Dollar General Corporation Names David A. Perdue, Jr. CEO". Dollar General. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  16. Cassidy, Christina (July 12, 2014). "Perdue touts business record in Georgia Senate bid". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 16, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  17. Shannon McCaffrey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "David Perdue's business record mixed". ajc. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  18. Adam Bell (July 21, 2014). "Long-dead Pillowtex reborn as unlikely issue in U.S. Senate race in Georgia". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  19. "Dollar General Corporation Names David A. Perdue, Jr. CEO | Dollar General Newsroom". newscenter.dollargeneral.com.
  20. Cameron Joseph (October 13, 2014). "Perdue cut work in India from bio". Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  21. (April 18, 2011) "Governor Sonny Perdue Launches Perdue Partners, LLC". Business Wire website Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  22. Topics, Transport (December 10, 2012). "Perdue Partners Acquires Benton Express". Transport Topics. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  23. Mitchell, Tia (May 12, 2020). "U.S. Sen. David Perdue says his advisers won't trade individual stocks". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  24. Chris Joyner (October 6, 2014). "Perdue 'proud' of outsourcing past, blames Washington for jobs lost". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  25. Shannon McCaffrey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Perdue's trucking business overlapped with ports tenure". ajc. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  26. "Gov. Perdue Names New Ports Authority Board Members". Global Atlanta. November 30, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  27. "David Perdue". Ballotpedia. 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  28. Hallerman, Tamar; Bluestein, Greg (December 2, 2018). "Inside David Perdue's 2020 race for another U.S. Senate term". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  29. Arkin, James. "Ossoff condemns Perdue campaign for 'offensive,' 'anti-Semitic' digital ad". POLITICO. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
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  31. Joseph Wilkinson (July 28, 2020). "Georgia senator enlarges nose of Jewish opponent in campaign ad, takes it down after being called out". New York Daily News.
  32. "Senator Snatched Student's Phone While Being Asked About Georgia Voter Registration Uproar". Washington Post. October 14, 2018.
  33. Swan, Betsy (June 10, 2016). "GOP Senator Jokes About Praying for Obama's Death". The Daily Beast.
  34. "Senator's Prayer for Obama: 'Let His Days Be Few'". The Atlantic.
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  38. "The Republicans who urged Trump to pull out of Paris deal are big oil darlings". The Guardian. June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  39. "'I'd like to kill 'em': GOP takes on Trump tariffs". POLITICO. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  40. "Senate rejects Trump's rescue of Chinese firm ZTE". POLITICO. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  41. Press, By MATTHEW DALY, Associated (June 18, 2018). "Senate backs bill blocking deal with Chinese telecom firm". CNBC. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  42. Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Sheryl Gay Stolberg & Thomas Kaplan, Trump Alarms Lawmakers With Disparaging Words for Haiti and Africa. The New York Times, 11 January 2017
  43. Prokop, Andrew (January 12, 2018). "2 Republican senators have come down with a case of "shithole"-related amnesia". Vox.
  44. Ashley Killough, January 12, 2017, CNN, 2 Republican senators in Trump meeting say they don't recall 'shithole' comment, Retrieved January 13, 2017, "...We do not recall the President saying these comments specifically but what he did call out was the imbalance in our current immigration system,..."
  45. Sean Higgins, January 14, 2017, Washington Examiner, David Perdue: Trump did not make 'shithole countries' comment, Retrieved January 14, 2017, "....Asked repeatedly is the president specifically used the words "shithole country," Perdue, who was present at the meeting, eventually said, "I am telling you that he did not use those words."..."
  46. Kaplan, Thomas; Weiland, Noah; Shear, Michael D. (January 14, 2018). "Hopes Dim for DACA Deal as Lawmakers Battle Over Trump's Immigration Remarks". New York Times.
  47. Hallerman, Tamar (October 25, 2017). "David Perdue, a deficit hawk, weighs Trump's pricier fiscal priorities". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  48. Wes Mayer (July 18, 2014). "Perdue Visits Newnan During Run-off Campaign". Times-Herald. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  49. CARNEY, JORDAIN; ELIS, NIV. "Senate approves $854B spending bill". The Hill. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  50. "Key senators warn Trump of North Korea effort on Syria". The Hill. April 13, 2018.
  51. "Cosponsors - S.720 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Israel Anti-Boycott Act". www.congress.gov. March 23, 2017.
  52. Levitz, Eric (July 19, 2017). "43 Senators Want to Make It a Federal Crime to Boycott Israeli Settlements". Intelligencer.
  53. Swan, Jonathan. "Scoop: White House directed block of Armenian genocide resolution". Axios.
  54. "Senator David Perdue Comments On Death Of Iranian General Soleimani". www.tillis.senate.gov. Senate website.
  55. "Southern, local lawmakers divided over U.S. strike that killed Iranian leader". Chattanooga Times Free Press. January 3, 2020.
  56. Jim Gaines (August 21, 2014). "Nunn, Perdue take different tacks at forum". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  57. Priscilla Alvarez, Can a Decades-Old Immigration Proposal Pass Under Trump?, The Atlantic (August 21, 2017).
  58. Bobic, Igor (June 6, 2019). "Republicans Are Twisting Themselves Into Knots Trying To Defend Trump's Tariffs". HuffPost. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
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  60. Eric Stirgus, David Perdue supports Common Core: Common Core claim doesn't make the grade, PolitiFact (April 29, 2014).
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  63. "GA - General Election Results, November 4, 2014". George Secretary of State official site. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
Business positions
Preceded by
Cal Turner Jr.		 Chief Executive Officer of Dollar General
2003–2007		 Succeeded by
Richard Dreiling
Party political offices
Preceded by
Saxby Chambliss		 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Georgia
(Class 2)
2014, 2020		 Most recent
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
Saxby Chambliss		 U.S. senator (Class 2) from Georgia
2015–present
Served alongside: Johnny Isakson, Kelly Loeffler		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Mike Rounds		 United States Senators by seniority
77th		 Succeeded by
Thom Tillis
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