David Perdue, GOP’s lead for Georgia Governor polls, tests positive for COVID

David Perdue, one of the top runners in Georgia’s race for the Governor’s office, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Perdue was a former United States Senator and is a member of the Republican party.

Perdue has not been feeling any symptoms so far, including a fever, his campaign spokesperson Jenni Sweat said. Perdue, whose result came back positive after the routine COVID-19 testing round, has been fully vaccinated and boosted against the disease.

Campaign spokesperson Sweat said Perdue will isolate and “looks forward to being back out on the campaign trail as soon as possible.”

He spoke over the internet to a group of Hall County Republicans on Monday evening and Sweat said he plans to campaign virtually while he remains in isolation, according to reports from Associated Press.

Earlier on Monday, Perdue also addressed a gathering at the Faith & Freedom luncheon, which was hosted in downtown Atalanta. According to reports, those attending the event largely remained unmasked. Sweat said Perdue had notified the organizers of the gathering of his positive test.

Former United States President Donald Trump urged Perdue to run for the upcoming gubernatorial polls in Georgia. Trump set up Perdue to face off current Governor Brian Kemp— also a Republican– to secure the party’s nomination.

After a runoff election– organised in January 2021– in Georgia, Perdue lost his seat to Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff. He went into quarantine in the final days of the runoff campaign after exposure to someone who had tested positive for the virus.

Kemp is promising an all-out brawl as he tries to win a second term, with Kemp spokesperson Cody Hall saying Perdue is running only to “soothe his own bruised ego” over losing his Senate seat, according to reports from Associated Press.