When he was governor, Sonny Perdue liked to tell Georgians that he was a businessman long before he was a politician. That attribute appealed to President Donald Trump, who nominated Perdue to be his agriculture secretary.

The former governor’s cousin, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, built his fortune as a corporate turnaround specialist, helping revive struggling companies like Dollar General.

But a business venture by the politically powerful cousins ended badly in 2015, leaving behind millions of dollars in debts and thousands of dollars in delinquent taxes, according to a review of records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Read the full story at myajc.com

Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is a leading contender to serve as Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary

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Watermelon inspector Brian Nichols pats melons at the Cordele State Farmers Market to gauge their ripeness. (Joe Kovac Jr./AJC)

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Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seen here in a file photo from Nov. 14, 2024, is conducting a statewide audit of voter registrations targeting registrations at businesses and P.O. boxes for possible cancelation. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com