Perdue rules out Georgia Senate comeback in 2022

Former Republican Sen. David Perdue will not run for Senate in 2022, he said in a statement Tuesday, ruling out another campaign in Georgia less than two months after losing a runoff election for a second term.

The decision comes just a week after Perdue filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and said publicly that he was considering another campaign in 2022. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who won a special election against former GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler in January, is on the ballot again next year for a full term.

"This is a personal decision, not a political one," Perdue said in the statement announcing that he would not run. "I am confident that whoever wins the Republican primary next year will defeat the Democrat candidate in the General election for this seat, and I will do everything I can to make that happen."

Perdue lost to now-Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff by a percentage point in January as Warnock defeated Loeffler. Ossoff won a full six-year term, while Warnock won the race to fill the remainder of former Sen. Johnny Isakson's term. Georgia is one of Republicans' top targets as they seek to win back the Senate majority in 2022.

Loeffler has said that she is considering another campaign, and she started a new political organization this week aimed to help boost Republicans in the state. Former Rep. Doug Collins, who came in third place in November in the Senate special election, has also said that he's considering challenging Warnock next year.