Sonny Perdue had campaigned on his cousins behalf during David Perdues 2020 re-election campaign, which he narrowly lost to Senator Jon Ossoff. [27] In 2007, Georgia moved up to 46th place. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. Secretary Perdue did nothing wrong when he complied with his ethics agreement and followed the advice of career ethics officers at USDA (at considerable personal expense) to restructure his trusts.. From the year 2017 to 2021, George has served as the 31st United States Secretary Of Agriculture. In this 2017 post, I recount some of the port-related shenanigans the cousins Perdue got up to together, including launching a port-reliant export business. I ran because I was frustrated with the government. @SecretarySonny (to use his folksy Twitter handle) stayed the course that characterized his entire time at UDSA. Kemp has used congressional redistricting to add more Sonny Perdue supporters to the Board of Regents. Founder and partner in an agricultural trading company,[4] Perdue served from 2012 to 2017 on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.[3][5] He is the second secretary of agriculture from the Deep South; the first was Mike Espy of Mississippi, who served under President Bill Clinton from January 1993 to December 1994. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue told the crowd at last week's event in North Carolina that he got a call from the White House. Latest news, headlines, analysis, photos and videos on Sonny Perdue "[36], On November 13, 2007, while Georgia suffered from one of the worst droughts in several decades, Perdue led a group of several hundred people in prayer on the steps of the state Capitol. Anyone can read what you share. publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, will be the first woman to head the institution, a large-scale, low-cost online Master of Science degree program. American Oversight is now calling on the inspector general to investigate whether Perdue improperly participated in any such decision, given his ethics pledge to stay out of any matters that might have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of the assets in his trusts. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. [47], Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. [24], On January 18, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be United States secretary of agriculture. They have to be in charge of making sure that the schools comply with federal education policies and procedures, state education rules and regulations. [25], In 2007, Perdue convinced a skeptical legislature to approve a $19 million fishing tourism program he called Go Fish Georgia. He was sworn in by Supreme Court associate justice and fellow Georgian Clarence Thomas. At least he is out of the gate. Both elections are set for Jan. 5, though early voting began on Monday. This week on Georgia Today, we look at some issues Bottoms faced during her tenure as mayor with CNN national correspondentRyan Young. Each of those firms is owned by Perdue Business Holdings Inc., and Secretary Perdues newly created FALF Management Trust of which the secretary is a co-trustee owns 100 percent of the voting stock in Perdue Business Holdings, according to his 2019 disclosure. Sonny Perdue served two terms as the governor of Georgia, from 2003 to 2011. Eric Stirgus: I think you would have many people who would say that it is a political decision or that the board members themselves have, you know, some say depending on their own personal politics. Eric Stirgus: Yeah, I mean, and that's the argument that many of Kemp's team has said. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. [1][10] He grew up and still lives in Bonaire, an unincorporated area between Perry and Warner Robins. Brian Kemp and thought Trump thought his endorsement would spell immediate trouble for the incumbent. But you know, obviously, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently about issues like critical race theory. The secretarys 2019 filing also shows nearly $140,000 in income from Soque River Conservation LLC, which holds land along the Soque River in northern Georgia and is held by a separate trust that Perdue first reported last year. Dr. Sonny Perdue bio. She says a lot of things. George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III[1] (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. Secretary Perdue has visibility into and control over the trusts and their underlying assets, and he continues to benefit from them despite the plain terms of his 2017 ethics agreement, Evers wrote to the inspector general. Perdue, Trump's first and only agriculture secretary, is a notable exception. Why is Sonny Perdue is such a polarizing figure? Governor Pierre Howard asking for more responsibilities, and Howard obliged. The harangue, which ended with the ag secretary leading a chant of four more years, earned Perdue a knuckle-rap from the Office of Special Counsel for violating the Hatch Act, which forbids government employees from campaigning while on the job. And besides the national prominence afforded any state governor, Perdue garnered widespread attention for his actions in 2007 during the worst drought in Georgia's history. And so there are some ways to Sonny Perdue can help the university system of Georgia. [8] Perdue served as Secretary of Agriculture throughout Trump's term. Brian Kemp: That's why I'm looking forward to working with the members of the General Assembly this legislative session to protect our students from the divisive ideologies like critical race theory. In 2005, Georgia state Rep. Larry ONealPerdues personal lawyermanaged to pass what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called a seemingly mundane tax bill thatincluded a a last-minute change that saved the governor an estimated $100,000 in state taxes. Steve Fennessy: So the faction that was opposed or is opposed to the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor seems to be getting smaller. Who hires the chancellor? [45], During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue. Eric Stirgus: During his time as agriculture secretary there was, you know, there's been some criticism about his record, you know, concerning issues such as climate change. Steve Fennessy: Initial discussion about the possible candidacy of Sonny Perdue for chancellor for next chancellor of the University of Georgia System, the president of SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Belle Whelan, sends a letter to the chair of the Board of Regents of Georgia. Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do. David Perdue is running against Democrat Jon Ossoff in one of two runoff elections in the state that will determine control of the U.S. Senate in the next Congress. A former two-term governor of Georgia, George Ervin Perdue III, known throughout his life as Sonny, served as Agriculture Secretary from 2017 to 2021. Sonny Perdue Age: 75 Birthplace: Perry, Georgia Political History: Georgia state senator, 1991-2002; governor, 2003-2011; U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary, 2017-2021. (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). But Perdue is struggling. Eric Stirgus: For now, we have not heard any discussion about, you know, where Sonny Perdue will ultimately fall on the governor's race. (Washington, D.C., April 25, 2017) - Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony today at the Supreme Court building. The Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Archives . One is there was a group of students who created a group called Students against Sonny. Eric Stirgus: Yeah it's an important issue because, you know, colleges and universities that do not have accreditation, they can their students cannot get federal financial aid that helps pay for tuition for a lot of college students. Eric Stirgus: Correct. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. [67], Regardless of whether the deal was intended to influence Perdue's actions, and if it was if it actually had any impact, the Perdue years were good ones for ADM. So, you know, we've been hearing that this from faculty members who have been upset about, you know, some of his credentials in that space. Very few Republican elected officials, operatives, donors and activists in Georgia have. Your support makes this possible. And then a couple of months later, my colleague Greg Bluestein ran into him at an event and Sonny did say that he was interested in the position, if the regents would have him. [63], In August 2020, Perdue supported the president's re-election while promoting the Farmers to Families Food Box Program; Perdue was fined for violating the Hatch Act. The staff of Mother Jones is highlighting the years heroes and monsters. Steve Fennessy: News that Sonny Perdue will, in all likelihood be the university system of Georgia's next chancellor comes at a time when state legislators are debating bills about how racial history should be taught in classrooms. I think Steve really was making maybe about a half million dollars when he retired, so that's way more than the governor of Georgia was making. The department did not provide further documentation that potential conflicts in 2017 were limited to AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products. United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. Undeterred by the pandemic-led spike in hunger, Perdue also doubled- and tripled-down on a long-held goal: boosting work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that would eliminate food aid forat least 1.2 million peopleabout a third of them households containing senior citizens, nearly a quarter with children, and 11 percent with a disabled person, according tononpartisan think tank Mathematica. There's been some social media push against him. Through it all, Perdue maintained his extraordinary podcast, The Sonnyside of the Farm, a monthly testament to the genius of his boss and the glory of big agribusiness. Here to help us make sense of the implications of all this is Eric Stirgis, who covers higher education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He left in June. [70], Perdue is an avid sportsman. The watchdogs question whether the sale of AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products was enough to quash all potential conflicts. [67], Perdue's assets during his time as Secretary were placed in blind trusts, as is common to prevent financial conflicts of interest. Sonny Perdue won the 2002 Georgia governor's race, defeating the incumbent, Democrat Roy Barnes, to become the state's first Republican governor since Reconstruction. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. Eric Stirgus: His name is Steve Wrigley and he retired. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. Sonny Perdue is cousins with David Perdue, who is now engaged in a bitter primary battle against Brian Kemp Brian Kemp, who, of course, is backing Sonny Perdue. And I understand that he wasn't the biggest supporter of the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor. Jess Mador is our producer. The administration began acquiring bond money for the Go Fish Education Center near his home in Perry, GA. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. [News tape] 11Alive: He tweeted, "Brian Kemp is running for governor of the Great State of Georgia. There were so many cabinet members who who left, and then he had to appoint new ones. Chris Saeger, a spokesperson for Accountable.US, said the reorganization of Perdues assets from one trust to another appears to be nothing more than a shell game and a maze of technicalities and denials.. The Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday named former governor and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as the sole finalist to lead the state's University System. He was the only member of the Trump administration to endorse such a plan. He stated that legitimate, measurable carbon trading could spur so-called carbon sequestration by giving farmers an incentive to innovate. Perdue and a partner purchased the agricultural land in 2009 and later earned so-called mitigation bank credits for converting the tract for wetland conservation purposes, according to the watchdog organizations. He would not be the first governor to move into academia: Former Gov. Brian Kemp is in a fierce battle with David Perdue. Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. earned Perdue a knuckle-rap from the Office of Special Counsel, publicly for a way to cut federally mandated wages, lavished mainly huge soybean, hog, and cotton farmers, more than double the price tag of President Barack Obamas 2009 auto bailout, join us with a tax-deductible donation today. Mr. Kemp had received Mr. Trumps endorsement in 2018, but their relationship deteriorated following the Kemp administrations refusal to undermine Georgias presidential election results in 2020. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. Find them all here. Brian Kemp in Mays Republican primary. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses.