Perdue Concedes Loss in Georgia Race, Sealing Democratic Senate

(Bloomberg) -- David Perdue conceded the loss of his Georgia Senate seat Friday -- and with it Republican control of the Senate -- as late-arriving overseas ballots were not enough to bring the race close enough for a recount.

Perdue’s statement comes three days after a hotly contested runoff election required because no candidate received a majority in November. Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Kelly Loeffler for the state’s other Senate seat, giving the Democratic caucus 50 votes and allowing Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to tip the balance of power with her tie-breaking vote.

“Although we won the general election, we came up just short of Georgia’s 50% rule, and now I want to congratulate the Democratic Party and my opponent for this runoff win,” Perdue said in a written statement that did not mention the victor, Jon Ossoff, by name.

Late-counted ballots only increased Ossoff’s lead Friday to 44,996 votes -- or 50.5% to 49.5%. That 1-point margin is double the maximum margin that would allow a recount.

Perdue, a former CEO, served one term in the Senate and had campaigned as a close ally of President Donald Trump. His term had expired Jan. 3 and he did not participate in Wednesday’s counting of the electoral vote, which descended into chaos as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, resulting in five deaths.

“Serving our home state has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am very proud of how our team in Georgia and Washington, D.C. fought every day to deliver real results for all eleven million Georgians,” Perdue said in the statement.

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