Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue seemingly acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s victory Thursday in a recording obtained by The Washington Post.
“We know what this change of command at the top will mean for our foreign relations,” Perdue said during a video meaning with the Republican Jewish Coalition, according to the Post. “If we can keep the majority in the Senate, we can at least be a buffer on some of the things that the Biden camp has been talking about in terms of their foreign policy.”
The recording comes just two days before President Donald Trump heads to Georgia to campaign on Perdue and Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s behalf. Both Perdue and Loeffler have refused to acknowledge Biden’s electoral victory, and both have supported Trump’s continued contesting of the election results. (RELATED: Trump Teams Allegations Of Fraud Are Not Supported By Their Own Lawsuits)
Perdue also discussed Biden and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decades-long relationship, calling the two “known negotiators” with the ability to reach comprehensive deals not seen in “two or three administrations.” (RELATED: Biden Says ‘Several’ GOP Senators Have Privately Congratulated Him)
He also referred to the Trump administration as “the last administration,” the Post reported.
“We have an opportunity to do something that maybe we lost in the last administration between [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and Trump,” Perdue said. “That was just a bridge too far to think that we were going to get them to negotiate. But here we have Biden and McConnell, who are ex-colleagues in the Senate, who are known negotiators, who, if Biden can get away from the extreme part of his party, he might make some deals.”
Perdue did hedge in another part of the recording, saying that the Senate could be a buffer “if [Democrats] end up being in power,” according to the Post.
CUMMING, GA – NOVEMBER 13: U.S. Sen David Perdue (R-GA) and Sen Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) speaks at a campaign event to supporters at a restaurant on November 13, 2020 in Cumming, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images).
John Burke, Perdue’s communications director, called the recording a “non-story,” and emphasized Perdue’s support for Trump in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“This is a non-story — Senator Perdue totally supports President Trump and his fight for transparency and accuracy in this election. Perdue for weeks has been repeatedly sounding the alarm about what the consequences of total Democratic control of Congress would be if Schumer wins these two seats in Georgia,” Burke said.
Loeffler also spoke on the call, though she did not mention Biden by name, according to the Post. She did say, however, that if reelected their top priority would be to protect “the work that has happened over the last four years.” (RELATED: Schumer: If Democrats Win Georgia, Then ‘We Change America’)
A spokesperson for Loeffler did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. In a statement to the Post, however, a spokesman said that she was not acknowledging Biden’s win.
“[Loeffler] supports the president exhausting every available option to ensure the results of the election are accurate while she also works to hold the Senate majority on January 5th,” the spokesperson said. “This is a total non-story.”
Perdue and Loeffler failed to avoid their respective runoffs after neither cleared 50% of the vote in their races. Perdue finished with 49.7% while Loeffler, whose race had over 20 candidates, finished with 25.9%.
Their respective Democratic challengers, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, finished with 47.9% and 32.9%, respectively.
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