Former Georgia Republican Senator David Perdue has decided against running to return to the Senate in 2022, reversing course after starting an exploratory committee just last week, CNN reports.
“After much prayer and reflection, Bonnie and I have decided that we will not enter the race for the United States Senate in Georgia in 2022,” Perdue said in an email to supporters Tuesday, adding that it’s “a personal decision, not a political one.”
After serving one term in the Senate, Perdue lost a run-off election against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff in January. That Democratic pick-up, along with a win in the other Georgia runoff by Senator Raphael Warnock over incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler, gave Democrats the majority in the Senate thanks to a 50-50 split with Vice President Kamala Harris as the deciding vote.
The Senate sweep gave Democrats wins in all state-wide races decided in the 2020 election, with the state going to Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden.
A former CEO of Reebok and Dollar General, Perdue faced investigations into stock trades he conducted while in office, with accusations that he used non-public information he gained due to his position in the Senate.