David Perdue Bio
David Alfred Perdue Jr. (born December 10, 1949) is an American diplomat, politician, and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021, and he is currently the 14th United States ambassador to China, a post he assumed in May 2025. After a long private-sector career that included senior executive roles at Reebok and Dollar General, Perdue entered politics and won his first Senate race in 2014. In 2022 he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Governor Brian Kemp in the Georgia Republican primary.
Early Life and Background
David Perdue was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of David Alfred Perdue Sr. and the former Gervaise Wynn, both of whom were schoolteachers. His father, a Democrat, served as the elected superintendent of schools for Houston County, Georgia, from 1961 to 1980, where he oversaw the desegregation of the school system. Perdue was raised in Warner Robins, Georgia, and graduated from Northside High School in 1968, where he was an excellent student, a varsity athlete, and class president.
He went to college for one year at the United States Air Force Academy starting in June 1968, after receiving an appointment from Congressman Jack Brinkley of Georgia, but dropped out after earning low grades. In 1969 Perdue wrote to Congressman Brinkley that he had made a mistake and did not want that type of career. He later transferred to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering in 1972, and a Master of Science degree in operations research in 1975.
Path to US Politics
Perdue’s path to politics ran through more than three decades in the private sector. After 12 years as a management consultant, he joined Reebok in 1998 as a senior vice president and eventually rose to president and chief executive officer of the Reebok Brand, where he was credited with rejuvenating its sneaker line. He later became chief executive officer of Dollar General, where he overhauled the company’s inventory line, closed hundreds of underperforming stores, and helped double the company’s stock price.
By 2007, Perdue had earned a reputation on Wall Street as a turnaround specialist who helped revive brands and deliver returns for investors. In 2010, his cousin, then-Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia, appointed him to the Georgia Ports Authority board, an early introduction to public service. In 2011 he founded Perdue Partners, an Atlanta-based global trading firm, sharpening the business profile he would later bring to his Senate campaign.
David Perdue Career
Early Career (1972–2014)
Perdue began his career in 1972 at Kurt Salmon Associates, an international consulting firm, where he worked for 12 years as a management consultant. From 1991 to 1992, he served as a managing director at the international clothing company Gitano Group Inc. in Singapore. In 1992, he became senior vice president of Asia operations for Sara Lee Corporation, and two years later, he joined Haggar Clothing as senior vice president of operations, increasing international production in lower-cost countries to 75 percent of the company’s operations.
After leaving Reebok in June 2002, Perdue became chief executive officer of PillowTex, a North Carolina textile company. The company had recently emerged from bankruptcy with heavy debt and an underfunded pension liability, and he left in 2003 after nine months on the job. PillowTex announced it would go out of business in July 2003, leaving 7,650 workers out of work nationwide. Perdue then became chief executive officer of Dollar General, where he is credited with arranging the company’s 2007 sale to private equity investors KKR, and during his tenure he received $42 million in compensation from Dollar General in 2007 and 2008.
2014 Senate Breakthrough (2014–2020)
Perdue first ran for the United States Senate in 2014 as a Republican, touting his business experience and especially his time at Dollar General. He was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, and his campaign raised nearly $14 million, setting records for funds raised in a Georgia Senate election. Perdue defeated Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn, daughter of former United States Senator Sam Nunn, by a margin of 52.89 percent to 45.21 percent.
During his six years in the Senate, Perdue became one of its most prolific stock traders, and he drew scrutiny for trades that sometimes intersected with committee work. He voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, opposed the Affordable Care Act, and co-sponsored the RAISE Act with Senator Tom Cotton in 2017 to cut legal immigration to the United States by 50 percent over 10 years. With a net worth of $15.8 million, as calculated by Roll Call based on financial disclosures, Perdue was one of the wealthiest members of the Senate as of February 2018, and he became Georgia’s senior senator after Johnny Isakson resigned on December 31, 2019.
2020 Reelection and 2022 Governor’s Race (2020–2022)
Perdue ran for reelection to the United States Senate in 2020 against Democrat Jon Ossoff, a former investigative journalist and filmmaker. After no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the November 3 election, the race went to a January 5, 2021 runoff. Perdue lost the runoff to Ossoff, and his term expired on January 3, 2021, leaving the seat vacant pending the runoff’s outcome. He initially sent a message saying that once every legal vote was counted he would win, but two days after the election he acknowledged his defeat and conceded to Ossoff.
In December 2021, recruited and endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Perdue announced his challenge against incumbent Governor Brian Kemp in the 2022 Georgia Republican gubernatorial primary. He lost the May 24 primary in a landslide, being defeated 74 percent to 22 percent.
Ambassador to China Era (2024–Present)
On December 5, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump named Perdue as his nominee for United States ambassador to China. Perdue’s confirmation hearing was held at the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on April 3, 2025. During his confirmation hearing, he stated that the two countries will naturally have areas of disagreement and that the United States should seek areas where its interests align to develop a better and safer working relationship. On April 29, 2025, the United States Senate confirmed him by a vote of 67 to 29.
On May 7, 2025, Perdue was sworn in as an ambassador by President Donald Trump at a ceremony held in the Oval Office. On May 15, 2025, Perdue arrived in China to take up his position, and on the following day, he presented his credentials to Hong Lei, the director-general of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Perdue’s most notable moments in public life was his January 5, 2021 runoff loss to Jon Ossoff, which helped Democrats take control of the United States Senate. His 2022 primary loss to Governor Brian Kemp by a 74 percent to 22 percent margin was another defining political moment. His Senate confirmation on April 29, 2025, by a vote of 67 to 29 made him only the most recent former senator to be tapped for a senior diplomatic posting in a second Trump administration.
David Perdue Career Wins
David Perdue’s career wins include his 2014 victory in the Georgia United States Senate race, where he defeated Democrat Michelle Nunn by a margin of 52.89 percent to 45.21 percent. He was also confirmed by the United States Senate on April 29, 2025, by a vote of 67 to 29, to serve as the 14th United States ambassador to China.
Senate Race Highlights
Perdue’s 2014 Senate victory over Michelle Nunn was the capstone of his first political campaign, and it came after his team raised nearly $14 million, a record for a Georgia Senate race. He went on to serve a single six-year term, voting on major issues including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He later lost his 2020 reelection bid to Jon Ossoff in the January 5, 2021 runoff.
Other Wins and Achievements
Beyond electoral politics, Perdue’s signature business achievement was leading Dollar General, where he is credited with overhauling the company’s inventory line, doubling its stock price, and arranging its 2007 sale to KKR. He was also confirmed on April 29, 2025, by the United States Senate to serve as ambassador to China, and he was sworn in by President Trump on May 7, 2025.
David Perdue Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
David Perdue was born to David Alfred Perdue Sr. and the former Gervaise Wynn, both schoolteachers. His father, a Democrat, served as the elected superintendent of schools for Houston County, Georgia, from 1961 to 1980, where he oversaw the desegregation of the school system. Perdue is the first cousin of former Georgia Governor and former United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, and he is not related to any descendant of the family that founded and operates Perdue Farms.
Personal Life
Perdue married Bonnie Dunn in August 1972, and the couple lives in Sea Island, Georgia. They had a daughter who died in infancy, and they have two sons, David A. Perdue III and Blake Perdue, as well as three grandchildren.