David Perdue in 2020 GA Senate race
On Government Reform:
OpEd: Refusal to debate seemed lordly and dismissive
When the curtain went up on Democrat Jon Ossoff, he was standing alone onstage. Sen. David Perdue "declined to participate in this debate and so is represented by an empty podium," said moderator Russ Spencer after introducing the candidates.
Perdue refused to give voters the benefit of his presence. He couldn't even be bothered to turn up and bob and weave and dodge tough questions. His absence seemed lordly and dismissive, which is precisely what Ossoff accused Perdue of being.
Source: Washington Post OpEd on 2020 Georgia Senate debate
Dec 6, 2020
On Government Reform:
Republican Secretary of State should resign over election
Joint Statement From Senators Perdue & Loeffler: "The management of Georgia elections has become an embarrassment. Georgians are outraged, and rightly so. Every legal vote cast should be counted. Any illegal vote must not. The mismanagement and lack of
transparency from the Secretary of State is unacceptable. Honest elections are paramount to the foundation of our democracy. The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. He has failed the people of Georgia, and he
should step down immediately."The Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded: "Senators Loeffler and Perdue called for my resignation. That is not going to happen. From an election administration perspective, the election was a
resounding success. Almost 5 million Georgians cast a vote in this election--that is a record turnout. The process of reporting results followed the law. Where there have been allegations of illegal voting, my office has dispatched investigators."
Source: 2020 Georgia Senate campaign website PerdueSenate.com
Nov 9, 2020
On Abortion:
Backed ban on most abortions after six weeks
Q: Keep legal or ban?Perdue: Ban. "Will continue fighting to protect the unborn." Backed ban on most abortions after six weeks that the courts overturned. Co-sponsored bill to end any federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
Ossoff: Legal. "I will only vote to confirm federal judges who pledge to uphold Roe v. Wade." Will defend Planned Parenthood's "essential preventative and reproductive Health Care services."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Budget & Economy:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a "rogue agency"
Q: Tighten or loosen regulation of banks and credit card companies?Perdue: Loosen. Supports "rollback of federal banking regulations." Calls Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "rogue agency."
Ossoff: Tighten. Seeks more regulation of the banking system, reinstating Glass-Steagall Act.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Civil Rights:
Supreme Court overstepped in legalizing same-sex marriage
Q: Support gay marriage and other LGBTQ rights issues?Perdue: No. Sees marriage as "between one man and one woman." In legalizing same-sex marriage, the
Supreme Court "overstepped" its role.
Ossoff: Yes. Supports LGBTQ Rights, and Equality Act against discrimination for gender or orientation.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Crime:
Need police reform, but vast majority of cops are honorable
Q: Restrict police use of force and increase public oversight?Perdue: Mixed. "Do we need police reform? Absolutely. But the vast majority of police officers protect us honorably."
Ossoff: Yes. "We urgently need a New Civil Rights Act to establish national standards for use [of] force by American police!"
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Drugs:
Supports medical marijuana, not recreational use
Q: Marijuana--Decriminalize or legalize?Perdue: Medical yes. Supports access to medical marijuana.
As of 2014, opposed recreational.
Ossoff: Yes. "It's past time to legalize, regulate and tax cannabis."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Education:
Supports school choice including private schools
Q: Public funding for private or for-profit schools?Perdue: Yes. Supports "school choice," including charter and private schools.
Ossoff: No position found. Focuses on increasing teacher pay and strengthening public schools.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Education:
Free tuition is what Soviets, Nazis, Cubans, Venezuelans did
Q: Support free or subsidized tuition for lower-income individuals?Perdue: No. Promises of free tuition are what "the Soviets did in Russia, the Germans did in '33," and what the Cubans and Venezuelans did.
Ossoff: Yes. Supports debt forgiveness and making public college, state school, or trade school education "debt-free."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Energy & Oil:
Support withdrawal from Paris Agreement
Q: Your opinion on climate change?Perdue: "The scientific community is not in total agreement" about human cause. Supports Trump withdrawal from Paris Agreement. Opposed Obama's Clean Power Plan and limits on offshore drilling.
Supports biomass investment.
Ossoff: "Climate change is a major threat to our prosperity and our security," part of "a broader environmental and ecological crisis." Will "deliver massive federal investment in clean energy, grid infrastructure, R&D."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Environment:
Roll back stifling Obama-era regulations
Q: Tighten or loosen environmental regulations?Perdue: Mostly loosen. Roll back "stifling Obama-era regulations." Against reducing waste and emissions. Reduce plastic waste in oceans.
Ossoff: Tighten. Will work to reverse Trump "rollbacks of clean air, clean water, and fuel economy standards."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Foreign Policy:
Voted against blocking arm sales to Saudi Arabia
Q: Support blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia?Perdue: No. Voted in U.S. Senate against resolution blocking Saudi arms sales.
Ossoff: Yes. Reject "regime that executes political dissidents, executes people for their sexuality" and brutally murders journalists.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Free Trade:
Reluctantly came to support Trump steel, aluminum tariffs
Some of his only public criticism of the president revolved around the issue of tariffs. Perdue was reluctant to support
Trump's proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum but eventually came to do so.
Source: Fox News on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Government Reform:
Idea of voter suppression is a lie out of the pit of hell
Q: Strict ID and other rules to combat possible fraud, even if limiting access?Perdue: No position found. On chaotic GA primary, "more than 150 counties didn't have any problem. In a few we did. This idea of voter suppression is a lie
right out of the pit of hell."
Ossoff: No. Criticizes "major purges" of voter rolls and "mass disenfranchisement." Need a new Voting Rights Act.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Government Reform:
Strong advocate for Congressional term limits
Frustrated with what he saw as a growing national security crisis and a massive national debt crisis,
Perdue ran for Senate in 2014 as his first public office. A strong advocate for term limits, this will be Perdue's first and only reelection campaign.
Source: Fox News on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Gun Control:
Ample guns laws on the books; supports background checks
Q: Your opinion on gun control?Perdue: "We have ample gun laws on the books;" should enforce them. Supports some more stringent background checks.
Ossoff: Supports universal background checks, red-flag laws, closing gun-show loophole, as well as a ban on assault weapons.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Health Care:
Repeal fining poor because they can't afford ObamaCare
Q: Support Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ObamaCare?Perdue: No. Voted to repeal ACA. "The poorest among us will continue to be fined because they can't afford ObamaCare."
Ossoff: Yes. Will "work to improve [ACA], not repeal it, so we can make affordable insurance and quality care available to all Americans."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Health Care:
COVID: We've done everything we could
Q: Your opinion on COVID response?Perdue: Trump and Pence are "taking the coronavirus very seriously." "We've done everything we could." Trump "has taken unprecedented action to protect the American people; now we're working to safely reopen
[and] help small businesses continue to weather this crisis."
Ossoff: "Tens of millions are losing jobs, essential workers are underpaid, under-protected and underinsured [while] help for ordinary people and smaller firms has been meager and slow."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Immigration:
Citizenship for DACA tied to cutting immigration
Q: Your opinion on immigration?Perdue: Supports Trump proposal for DACA path to citizenship tied to cutbacks in legal Immigration and funding for wall. DACA brings "chain migration." Supported limiting visas to "create a merit-based
immigration system."
Ossoff: "DREAMers are Americans," "here to stay." Supports "path to legal status for undocumented immigrants." "Strong border security doesn't require" sacrificing "our moral principles."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Jobs:
Co-sponsored National Right-to-Work Act
Q: Support "right to work" laws, banning unions from mandating dues for workers they represent?
Perdue: Yes. Co-sponsored National Right-to-Work Act.
Ossoff: No position found. Has been endorsed by United Auto Workers.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Jobs:
Raising minimum wage kills jobs
Q: Raise federal hourly minimum wage above current $7.25?Perdue: No recent position. In 2014 said if "increase the minimum wage, you will kill jobs."
Ossoff: Yes. "Fight to make sure the minimum wage is a livable wage."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Principles & Values:
COVID: Stock trades came under investigation
Perdue was one of a number of lawmakers whose stock trades came under fire early in the coronavirus pandemic. Records show that following a Jan. 24 Senate briefing on the threat of coronavirus, Perdue purchased somewhere between $63,000 and $245,000
worth of stock in Pfizer, a company now working to develop a coronavirus vaccine. He made a number of purchases of stock in DuPont de Nemours, a chemical company that supplies personal protective equipment.
One purchase on the same day as the members-only briefing was for $65,000.
Perdue said he was not involved in the trade. "I have had an outside professional that manages my personal finances and I'm not involved in the day-to-day," he said in a statement.
Source: Fox News on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Tax Reform:
Trump tax cuts having a positive impact across the country
Q: Support administration's $1.9 trillion (2017) tax cuts?Perdue: Yes. "The tax cuts passed by the
U.S. Senate are already having a positive impact across the country."
Ossoff: No. "We borrow trillions to cut taxes for the wealthy & powerful."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On War & Peace:
Opposed requiring Congressional approval of attack on Iran
Q: Oppose military attacks on Iran without congressional approval?Perdue: No. Opposed bill to require approval.
Supported 2020 attack; "justice has been served."
Ossoff: No position found, although opposed Trump withdrawal from Iran nuclear treaty.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
On Principles & Values:
Strong supporter of judges in the mold of Antonin Scalia
There is no greater supporter of Trump's transformation of the nation's judiciary than Perdue. He fought to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and will ensure that all future judicial nominees will also protect and defend the Constitution.
Perdue has worked tirelessly to confirm judges in the mold of Antonin Scalia - conservatives who understand that their modest, but critical, role under the Constitution is to protect the American people from government overreach and mob rule.
Source: Gwinnett Daily Post on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 2, 2020
On Free Trade:
Aggressively imported cheap Chinese products as CEO
In the pivotal Senate race between Perdue and challenger Jon Ossoff, the candidates have traded accusations around financial connections to China. But previously unreported business disclosures show that Perdue, during a touchstone period of
his business career, expanded aggressively into China to import cheap products into the United States. Perdue served as the chief executive of Dollar General from 2003 through 2007.
Source: The Intercept on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 27, 2020
On Budget & Economy:
Supported Opportunity Zones to incentivize investment
David knows that when economic opportunity is elusive to underserved communities, hope evaporates for them. Opportunity Zones incentivize investment in communities that are thirsting for economic mobility. David was an important voice in
passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which created Opportunity Zones, and we're seeing them make a clear impact across South Carolina and Georgia with thousands of individuals gaining access to new paths out of poverty.
Source: August Chronicle on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 23, 2020
On Education:
Helped secure permanent funding for HBCUs
David also worked across the aisle to secure permanent funding for historically Black colleges and universities. These institutions are vital to the success of so many black Americans, and David has shown himself to be a great champion for them.
David told me about his experience working side-by-side with Democratic congressman David Scott to get funding for HBCU agriculture scholarships in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Source: August Chronicle on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 23, 2020
On Principles & Values:
Mocked Kamala Harris's first name at Trump rally
Perdue took the opportunity to mock Sen. Kamala Harris's name. "The most insidious thing that Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden are trying to perpetrate, and Bernie, and Elizabeth, and KAH-mah-la, or Kah-MAH-la, or KAH-mah-la or Kamala-mala-mala, I don't
know, whatever," he said. It's a move that framed Harris as someone who's different. "Senator Perdue simply mispronounced Senator Harris' name, and he didn't mean anything by it," said Perdue's campaign communications director, John Burke, in a tweet.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 18, 2020
On Budget & Economy:
For Paycheck Protection Program, pro-market solutions
COVID-19 has been an unprecedented crisis, and we took unprecedented steps to protect our most vulnerable. We shut our entire economy down, and it took a tremendous toll on our employment numbers. One of the great things about the CARES Act was that
it established the Paycheck Protection Program, which put out millions of loans targeted to small businesses. It's been a lifeline. With pro-market solutions that engage people to get back to work, we can safely get our economy going again.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 8, 2020
On Health Care:
Market based solutions, crack down on fraud in Medicare
We need lower prescription drug costs, and increased access to health care through market-based solutions that increase competition--not government controls that have never really worked.
I believe that increasing transparency and cracking down on fraud in Medicare would improve the program's long-term viability. We need to guarantee coverage for preexisting conditions and protect seniors from surprise medical bills.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 8, 2020
On Health Care:
Incentivize drug manufacturers to lower prices
The cost of prescription drugs is one of the biggest drivers of healthcare costs in America. I've put forward plans that would incentivize drug manufacturers to offer their products at a lower cost and address inefficiencies in the drug market
supply chain. I've also fought for legislation that would require pharmacists to disclose fees and price concessions they use for Medicare Part D. All Americans, and especially our seniors, deserve transparency at the pharmacy counter.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 8, 2020
On Health Care:
Invest in equipping vulnerable populations
Seniors are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and we need to take special measures to ensure their safety. The CARES Act made sure that PPE shortages for long-term care facilities were addressed and passed billions of dollars in funding for
our providers to care for our seniors who'd become infected. We expanded telehealth and home health flexibilities. It's vital that we make sure we continue our investment in equipping vulnerable populations not just now but for future crises as well.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 8, 2020
On Social Security:
Return to sensible budgeting to stabilize Social Security
Once we're through the COVID-19 crisis, we are going to have to work hard to save Social Security. We must end constant stopgap legislation we use to fund our government and return to sensible budgeting every year.
Once we do that, I'm confident we can continue to fulfill our promises to provide Social Security to our seniors.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 8, 2020
On Crime:
Supports expanding rights of crime victims
Perdue has been honored by Marsy's Law For Georgia for his support for expanding constitutional rights for victims of violent crimes. "After going through the trauma of a violent crime, victims and their families deserve to know if the accused attacker
has been released," said Senator Perdue. "Marsy's Law for Georgia is doing great work to raise awareness and ensure both victims and their families have a voice in our criminal justice system."
Source: Metro Atlanta CEO on 2020 Georgia Senate race
May 31, 2019
On Crime:
Supported First Step Act with restrictions
Senator Perdue secured the following improvements to the First Step Act: - Removes the ability of judges to unilaterally make offenders with serious criminal records eligible for reduced sentences
- Ensures serious violent offenders cannot take advantage of time credits toward pre-release custody
Source: 2020 Georgia Senate campaign website peters.senate.gov
Dec 10, 2018
On Civil Rights:
OpEd: avoids voter suppression questions
Perdue appeared to dodge a college student's inquiry by ripping the cellphone out of his hand. The senator was at Georgia Tech to campaign for gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp when he was approached by a member of the school's Young Democratic
Socialists of America and asked about tens of thousands of voter registrations that Kemp, as the secretary of state, is refusing to process. "How can you endorse a candidate..." he says, before Perdue takes the phone from his hand ending his question.
Source: ABC News on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 15, 2018
On Free Trade:
Supports USMCA trade agreement to replace NAFTA
The USMCA is a new trade pact among the US, Mexico and Canada, intended as a stronger and modernized replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).Sen. David Perdue (R-GA): "President Trump is keeping his promise
to achieve better trade deals for America. Our economy has changed significantly since NAFTA was signed 24 years ago. It is encouraging that the Trump Administration succeeded in bringing both Mexico and Canada to the negotiating table."
Source: White House press release in 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 2, 2018
On Foreign Policy:
Defends Trump on Putin; must engage with Russia
On Russia policy: "I think President Trump has done a great job in going over and meeting with Putin," said Perdue, one of the president's biggest
boosters. "What he says coming out of that [the press conference], I think, is minor news relative to the bigger picture, and that is we are re-engaging with someone in the world that can be very dangerous and we have to engage with them."
Source: RollCall.com on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Jul 18, 2018
On Foreign Policy:
National debt impacts our foreign policy
America's foreign policy has depended on three precepts: development, diplomacy and defense. The debt jeopardize our ability to fund them. I've traveled around the world to meet with our troops, foreign leaders and diplomats, so I've seen the impact the
debt is having on America's ability to lead globally. When Defense Secretary James Mattis said, "if you don't fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition," he summed up how the debt is impacting our entire foreign policy.
Source: OpEd in USA Today for 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 5, 2017
On Foreign Policy:
US should provide aid to encourage development
On foreign aid: "As we work to combat a myriad of threats around the world, we must continue America's role as a global humanitarian leader," said
Perdue. "After years of failed policies and weak leadership abroad, there is still much work to do to reengage with the rest of the world and encourage development. A great place to start is with improving the effectiveness of foreign assistance."
Source: U.S. Global Leadership Coalition on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Aug 25, 2017
On War & Peace:
North Korean sanctions prove diplomacy succeeds
He was hopeful about global cooperation in addressing the North Korean threat. "If you look at what China and Russia didn't do on the U.N. sanctions, they didn't veto it. That's a huge step." He said that he "knows for a fact" that North Korean
sanctions were a topic discussed when Chinese president Xi Jingping came to the U.S. and when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went to Moscow. "We needed them to abstain, and that's exactly what they did. And now we have those sanctions," Perdue said.
Source: Georgia Public Broadcasting on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Aug 25, 2017
On Crime:
Opposed Sentencing Reform Act as too lenient
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), unveiled improvements to the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, S. 2123. The measure is designed to reform federal sentencing policies, bring substantive
rehabilitative programming to federal prisons, address the growing costs of incarceration, and enhance public safety by focusing on reducing prisoners' risk of recidivism. [Perdue] called the Act a "criminal leniency bill."
"The bill's definition of what constitutes a 'serious violent felony' creates a loophole that would allow these serious felons to slip through the system," said
Perdue. "As currently written, this bill would put thousands of dangerous felons back on the streets early, potentially endangering our families and communities, and therefore I still cannot support it."
Source: GeorgiaPol.com OpEd on 2020 Georgia Senate race
May 2, 2016
On Homeland Security:
US must address global security crisis with strong defense
Perdue said America is facing a "global security crisis" in which allies distrust the U.S. and enemies do not fear it. A nuclear deal with Iran will leave that nation with a "breakout time down to zero" in 10-15 years for obtaining a nuclear
weapon. "To address this global security crisis and create a new beginning, we must have a consistent and strong foreign policy," he said. "However, to have a strong foreign policy we must have a strong defense."
Source: Albany Herald on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Apr 27, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 10, 2020