ATLANTA — Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue emptied the remaining $4.3 million in his federal campaign account by repaying $3 million worth of loans he made to himself and donating much of the rest to pro-Republican groups, including one backing his ex-rival Gov. Brian Kemp.
The spate of donations was revealed Saturday in a federal financial disclosure that puts to rest questions about what the former Fortune 500 executive, who lost two successive statewide races, would do with the cash left over from his 2020 Senate reelection bid.
Perdue raised nearly $100 million during that campaign, which he lost in a 2021 runoff to Democrat Jon Ossoff. He then launched an ill-fated challenge to Kemp that ended in a humbling defeat to the governor in the May GOP primary.
The records show Perdue donated $100,000 to Georgians First Leadership Committee, which is controlled by Kemp’s campaign. The committee was created under a Republican-backed law that allows Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams to collect unlimited donations ahead of their November rematch.
Much of the rest of the money went to political allies.
He gave $75,000 to the Florida First Project, a super PAC backing U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. He contributed $500,000 to the National Victory Action Fund, a GOP group led by former U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado.
And he donated $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which pumped millions of dollars into his two campaigns for U.S. Senate.
