Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hit back after Trump endorsed his rival, saying David Perdue was running to 'soothe his own bruised ego'
- Gov. Brian Kemp criticized David Perdue after he entered the race for Georgia governor.
- Perdue, a former senator, announced he would seek the Republican nomination after Trump backed him.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hit out at his rival David Perdue for the Republican candidacy in next year's Georgia gubernatorial race, accusing the former senator of launching a vanity project.
David Perdue, was endorsed this week by former President Donald Trump. It followed him announcing his intention to run in a campaign video in which he repeatedly criticized Kemp.
Trump has been at odds with Kemp since the governor refused to back his baseless claims of election fraud in Georgia, a state which infuriated him by backing Joe Biden for president.
Trump on Monday called Kemp a "RINO," or "Republican in name only" and alleged that he had damaged "election integrity" in Georgia, an allegation based on the false claims of election fraud.
After it was reported on Sunday that Perdue planned to challenge Kemp in the race, a spokesperson for Kemp hit back at Perdue — who lost his Georgia Senate seat to Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff in January — saying he entered the race for egotistical reasons.
"Perdue's only reason for running is to soothe his own bruised ego because his campaign for U.S. Senate failed to inspire voters at the ballot box - twice," Kemp's director of Communications Cody Hall said in a statement cited by Chuck Williams, a reporter at WRBL News on Sunday.
"Governor Kemp has a proven track record of fighting the radical left to put hardworking Georgians first, while Perdue is best known for ducking debates, padding his stock portfolio during a pandemic, and losing winnable races," the statement said.
The winner of the contest for the Republican candidacy will likely run for the seat against Stacey Abrams, who is the favorite to secure the Democratic nomination for the governor race.
Perdue's campaign video repeatedly attacked Kemp, Abrams, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
"Look, I like Brian," he said. "This isn't personal, it's simple. He has failed all of us and cannot win in November."