The outsourcing of jobs is common in the corporate world, and Perdue said he was “proud” of that practice during his 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate. He took a different tack in 2020, distancing himself from his business experience in Asia while trying to link Democrat Jon Ossoff with China.
The ad followed a week of feuding that serves as a preview of the brutal race between the two powerful GOP figures. Democrats hope the infighting plays into their favor in November, when Abrams and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock are set to top the ballot.
The roughly $500,000 ad buy was financed through the Georgians First Leadership Committee, a pro-Kemp group created under a controversial new law that gives incumbents and top party officials a formidable advantage.
The law, which Kemp signed in July, allows the governor, lieutenant governor, legislative leaders from both parties and a few statewide nominees create funds that aren’t required to adhere to contribution caps.
Kemp and other incumbents can also use the leadership committees to accept contributions during the legislative session, when taking donations is otherwise prohibited.
The new law would allow Abrams to create a similar committee, but not until she wins the May primary to become her party’s nominee. That gives Kemp a head-start of nearly a year to amass as much cash as he can through the committees.
Likewise, Perdue would only be able to leverage the leadership committees if he ousted Kemp in the primary and became his party’s gubernatorial nominee.
