David Perdue

David Alfred Perdue Jr. ( born December 10, 1949) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States Senator for Georgia since 2015. A Republican, Perdue is a first cousin of Sonny Perdue, former Governor of Georgia and current United States Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue started his business career with more than a decade as a management consultant. In 1992 he became a VP at Sara Lee Corporation. During the next decade, he worked with Haggar Clothing, and Reebok. He was unable to correct problems at Pillowtex, which he joined in 2002, leaving after nine months with a large buyout. Perdue next worked for Dollar General, where he did achieve a turnaround, and later for the Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd. (GHCL), whose interests in India included textile mills. Before entering politics, Perdue set up a global trading firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Perdue ran for U.S. Senate in 2014. After winning a Republican primary, he defeated Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn in the general election. Perdue is running for re-election in 2020.