Georgia Republican gubernatorial hopeful David Perdue is in hot water over comments he made about Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
During an event on Monday, Perdue, a former Georgia senator, said, “[Abrams] said that Georgia is the worst place in the country to live.”
“Hey, she ain’t from here. Let her go back where she came from if she doesn’t like it here,” he went on.
The Washington Post notes, “Abrams, who served in the Georgia House of Representatives for a decade, moved to Georgia in high school and has lived there for most of her life.”
Perdue’s comments refer to a statement Abrams made on Saturday in which she said, “I am tired of hearing about how we’re the best state in the country to do business when we are the worst state in the country to live in.”
“When you’re No. 48 for mental health, when we’re No. 1 for maternal mortality, when you have an incarceration rate that’s on the rise and wages that are on the decline, then you are not the No. 1 place to live,” Abrams explained.
However, Perdue said, “The only thing she wants is to be president of the United States.”
“When she told Black farmers, ‘You don’t need to be on the farm,’ and she told Black workers in hospitality and all this, ‘You don’t need to be’ — she is demeaning her own race when it comes to that. I am really over this. She should never be considered for material for governor of any state, much less our state — where she hates to live,” he added.
That appears to refer to 2018 comments from the Democratic candidate.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Abrams told a crowd during her bid for governor that year, “I want to create a lot of different jobs. Because people shouldn’t have to go into agriculture or hospitality in Georgia to make a living in Georgia. Why not create renewable energy jobs? Because, I’m going to tell y’all a secret: Climate change is real.”
And during an appearance on Newsmax on Monday, Perdue said, “She’s not from here. My inclination is to say, you don’t like it, go back to where you came from.”
Perdue on Abrams: She’s not from here. My inclination is to say “you don’t like it, go back to where you came from” pic.twitter.com/nI3o1EPL1t
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 23, 2022
CNN political contributor Van Jones blasted Perdue, as he said on Monday night, “It’s disgusting, and he’s demeaning the human race… He made it racial.”
Check out some of the reactions below:
Racism, pure and simple. Disgusting and unforgivable. https://t.co/xMTJUTmQyV
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 23, 2022
Last words of a soon-to-be forgotten politician. BTW, Avondale High School and Spelman College. https://t.co/N4yjeMIHPB
— G O L D I E. (@goldietaylor) May 23, 2022
David Perdue side stepped the dog whistle and blasted the racism through a magaphone. https://t.co/mQmdSNjiBI
— Ben Kamens (@BeeKamens) May 23, 2022
Perdue faced criticism in 2020 while he was running for reelection for his Senate seat after he mocked Vice President Kamala Harris’ name.
“Ka-ma-la, Ka-ma-la, Kamala-mala-mala, I don’t know, whatever,” Perdue said as he mispronounced Harris’ first name.
Perdue’s latest comments came a day before the primary election in Georgia, where polls show he is trailing incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
