The first Republican elected governor of Georgia since Reconstruction is backing a key operative in the campaign, John Watson, in a four-way fight for Republican state chairman. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue endorsed Watson in an email that began circulating on Wednesday, saying, “I do not think there is anyone better prepared or positioned to lead our party organization to continuing victories.”
Watson was chief political strategist when Perdue ran for governor in 2002 and was chief of staff during the first of Perdue’s two terms. In the letter, Perdue credited “the strategic thinking and planning of John Watson” for his electoral success and the ensuing transformation of Georgia into a strong Republican state. A spokeswoman for Watson, Carmen Foskey, emphasized that Perdue made the endorsement in a personal letter and not as a Trump cabinet member.
A political conservative, Perdue may be the first member of the cabinet to take sides in an intra-party contest in his home state.
Delegates to the GOP state convention in Augusta, Ga., will elect the party chairman on Saturday. Watson also is backed by Rayna Casey, who chaired the Trump campaign in Georgia, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Also running for party chairman are attorney Alex Johnson, party vice-chair Micheal McNeely and District 12 chair Mike Welsh.
All of the candidates supported Trump for president and described themselves as anti-abortion during a debate in February, said the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper said the men pledged “to boost the cash-strapped party’s fundraising and flip Cobb and Gwinnett counties back to the red column.” Gwinnett and Cobb are the second- and third-most populous counties in Georgia respectively and enclose Atlanta suburbs.
In his letter, Perdue sounded a similar theme. “It has been 15 years since Republicans became victorious in Georgia … And after that record of success, organizations tend to get complacent, and I’m afraid we may be in that category.” He said Watson would provide the resources, strategy and leadership that determine the outcome of campaigns.
On Twitter, Watson responded to the endorsement by saying, “Let’s keep fighting to keep GA red!” Watson has been active in Georgia politics since the mid-1990s. Most recently, he was campaign co-chair for Sen. David Perdue.