✕ The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" David Perdue stated on March 25, 2022 in a radio interview: The 2021 Georgia Senate runoff and the 2020 presidential election “were stolen.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"pants- fire\\"](\\" * Georgia * National * Congress * Elections * David Perdue ![\\"Republican](\\" Republican candidate for Georgia Governor former Sen. David Perdue arrives to speaks at a campaign stop at the Covington airport on Feb. 2, 2022, in Covington, Ga.(AP) ![\\"Amy](\\" By Amy Sherman March 29, 2022 # Georgia’s David Perdue said elections were stolen from him and Trump. Pants on Fire! #### If Your Time is short * When Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., lost a runoff in January 2021 to Democrat Jon Ossoff, he conceded days later. But now, as Perdue runs against Gov. Brian Kemp in the primary, he has echoed former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods about \"stolen\" elections. * State officials in Georgia – Republicans – certified the results of the 2020 presidential election and the 2021 Senate runoffs. * The presidential election results in Georgia were counted three times, and each showed Biden won. See the sources for this fact-check Days after Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., lost his race against Jon Ossoff in January 2021, he conceded. But now as the Trump-backed candidate in the governor’s race, Perdue has a different account of what happened in his own race. \"Most people in Georgia know that something untoward happened in November 2020,\" David Perdue told conservative radio host Brian Pritchard March 25. \"I’ll just say it, Brian. In my election and the president’s election, they were stolen. The evidence is compelling now.\" What was his \"compelling\" evidence? Perdue suggested that a judge found merit in a case filed by plaintiffs seeking to inspect ballots in Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold. But the case, filed after the presidential election, was ultimately dismissed by the judge. In his primary battle against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, Perdue is running on a campaign of echoing Trump’s falsehoods about the 2020 election. The Republican winner will face off May 24 and the winner will face Democrat Stacey Abrams. Perdue said the evidence is \"compelling\" of stolen elections. It isn’t. It would involve an improbable massive felonious conspiracy for multiple election officials to break the law and steal an election on behalf of a candidate. The argument also fails to explain how a scheme to elect Biden and Ossoff would allow Republicans to win House seats, including Andrew Clyde and Marjorie Taylor Greene. We contacted a spokesperson for the Perdue campaign to ask for his evidence that the presidential and Senate runoffs were stolen and did not get a response. The presidential election was not stolen The presidential election in Georgia, where Biden won by about 12,000 votes, was not stolen. Democrats had been making inroads in recent years in Georgia, a state with an increasingly diverse electorate. Trump, who had to defend his record amid a pandemic, lost. Courts rejected lawsuits filed on Trump’s behalf, including the U.S. Supreme Court which declined to review a case that alleged Georgia and other states exploited the pandemic to make election procedure changes. The presidential election was counted three times by Georgia, and the results each time showed that Biden won. Republican statewide election officials said that they found no evidence of systematic voter fraud. State officials certified the results on Nov. 20, 2020. When the state’s top elections official, Brad Raffensperger, certified the results, he said that \"numbers don’t lie.\" \"As secretary of state, I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct. The numbers reflect the verdict of the people, not a decision by the secretary of state\'s office or of courts or of either campaign.\" Evidence of fraud in Georgia is so isolated that it would not have changed the outcome of the election. The AP found that officials in 24 Georgia counties identified 64 potential voter fraud cases, representing 0.54% of Biden’s margin of victory. Of those, about half were determined to be an administrative error or mistake. The AP found similarly small numbers of potential fraud cases in other battleground states. The state elections board in Georgia referred 35 cases to prosecutors in February 2021, including four to the attorney general. Of those four, three were settled administratively and one remains pending. Some allegations remain under investigation. In Georgia, it is illegal to collect and submit multiple mail ballots. True the Vote, a conservative group, has alleged ballot harvesting. Last year, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed on the allegation, but the group has since said it has a witness. It has yet to reveal who that is.The State Election Board voted March 16 to issue subpoenas to the group, to obtain the name of their witness. The U.S. Senate runoff was not stolen In the Jan. 5, 2021, Senate runoff race, Democrat Jon Ossoff won about 50.6% of the vote while Perdue won 49.4%. (Democrat Raphael Warnock also beat Republican Kelly Loeffler.) #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 15, 2024 in a news conference California law lets you “rob a store as long as it’s not more than $950” and “not get charged.” Kamala Harris “did that.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • August 19, 2024 Perdue conceded three days later. \"I want to congratulate the Democratic Party and my opponent for this runoff win,\" he said. The runoff was not within the 0.5% threshold to merit a statewide recount. On Jan. 19, 2021, Raffensperger certified the results, affirming that the returns \"are a true and correct tabulation of the certified returns received by this office from each county.\" Kemp also had to sign off on the certification. Analyses by reporters at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and by Georgia Public Radio found that Ossoff beat Perdue with strong turnout among Black voters. Ossoff ran TV ads showing how the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately hurt Black Americans and showing his support for racial justice protests. Lawsuit seeking ballot inspection in Fulton was dismissed The only evidence Perdue cited during the radio interview pertained to a court case filed after the presidential election. The lawsuit does not prove that the election was stolen. Garland Favorito, a longtime critic of Georgia’s election infrastructure, filed a motion in December 2020 claiming fraudulent mail ballots had been counted in Fulton County. Favorito sought to inspect the ballots. Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero issued an order May 21 to unseal the ballots but he later dismissed the case saying that the voters who filed the case lacked standing. State officials investigated the lawsuit’s allegations of counterfeit ballots and found they lacked evidence. That’s not to say the elections in Fulton County were smooth. A consultant in 2021 found that Fulton County elections had \"myriad problems\" with the processing of absentee ballots, such as failing to sufficiently protect rejected ballots in the mail room. But the consultant found no \"dishonesty, fraud, or intentional malfeasance.\" Perdue filed a case in December similar to the dismissed lawsuit seeking to inspect the ballots. The case remains pending. Republicans seeking inspections of ballots in Democratic or battleground jurisdictions has become part of the strategy of Trump allies who make allegations of voter fraud. While such quests for ballot reviews have not changed any outcomes, they have added fuel to the efforts by state Republican lawmakers to pass new restrictive voting laws. Our ruling Perdue says his 2021 Georgia Senate runoff and the 2020 presidential election \"were stolen.\" Perdue lacks evidence that either contest was stolen. He is mimicking the evidence-free claims by Trump and his allies about the presidential election, and now extending them to his own loss even though he conceded last year. Courts have rejected lawsuits alleging election wrongdoing and state election officials in Georgia — Republicans — said the presidential election was secure. State officials for both contests certified the results which showed that Biden beat Trump and that Perdue lost to Ossoff. The elections of 2020 and January 2021 in Georgia are over, and they were not stolen — they were won by Democrats. We rate this statement Pants on Fire. _RELATED_ : The facts of a fair US election have only gotten stronger since Capitol attack **RELATED** : Tucker Carlson spins web of misleading claims as he alleges ‘meaningful voter fraud’ in Georgia **RELATED** : Ohio’s Josh Mandel repeats false claim of stolen 2020 election **RELATED** : Fact-checks about Georgia #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein, Tweet, March 25, 2022 Fox 5 Atlanta, Fox News Poll: Kemp shows wider lead over Perdue in GOP primary race for governor, March 8, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kemp presses Perdue to quit race amid ‘lackluster’ fundraising, Feb. 9, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Inside the runoff flips: How Ossoff and Warnock pulled off epic victories, Jan. 9, 2021 Politico, Results of Georgia Senate runoff, January 2021 Stephen Fowler, Twitter thread of Trump rally in Georgia, March 16, 2022 Georgia Public Radio, Who Stayed Home More In Georgia\'s Senate Runoffs? Rural White Republicans, April 22, 2021 Georgia Public Radio, GBI says GOP\'s cellphone data lacks enough evidence to prove ballot harvesting, Oct. 22, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perdue welcomes Trump to Georgia by embracing ‘stolen’ election lie, March 26, 2022 AP, Trump returns to Georgia confronting test of his grip on GOP, March 26, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Judge’s ruling hinders push for Fulton ballot review, June 25, 2021 AP, Investigators: No evidence of Fulton County ballot fraud, Oct. 12, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein, Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power, March 22, 2022 Georgia Secretary of State, State Election Board Refers Voter Fraud Cases for Prosecution, Feb. 11, 2021 Email interview, Bryan P. Tyson, Taylor English Duma LLP, March 28, 2022 Email interview, Ari Schaffer, spokesperson for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, March 28, 2022 Telephone interview, Don Samuel, lawyer representing Fulton County election officials, March 28, 2022 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Amy Sherman ![](\\" ![](\\" JD Vance stated on August 25, 2024 in an interview on NBC\'s \"Meet the Press\": A zero-tolerance policy during the Trump administration \"led to less family separation than under Kamala Harris\' border policies.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 26, 2024 in an interview with a podcaster: Vice President Kamala Harris “is a communist. … She is really a Marxist.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Rick Scott stated on August 28, 2024 in a post on X: “This month alone, more than 16,000 non-citizens have been removed from the voter rolls in 3 states.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • August 29, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 23, 2024 in a speech in Las Vegas: “Kamala cast the tiebreaking vote to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to go after your tip income.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • August 28, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on August 14, 2024 in a speech in California: Former President Donald Trump “cut overtime benefits for millions of workers.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Pete Buttigieg stated on August 11, 2024 in an interview on CNN State of the Union: Gov. Tim Walz delivered paid family leave in Minnesota but “Republicans are blocking” a Biden-Harris proposal. ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 16, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 8, 2024 in a press conference: Says his Jan. 6, 2021, speech on the White House Ellipse drew the “same number of people,” as the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 2, 2024 in a video: In Pompano Beach, Florida, Somali immigrants illegally in the U.S. were in line to get driver’s licenses and “all you need to vote is a driver\'s license.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 27, 2024 in a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota: During the 2020 Minnesota riots after George Floyd’s murder, Gov. Tim Walz didn’t call in the National Guard, “so, I sent in the National Guard to save Minneapolis.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 3, 2024 in a rally in Atlanta: Kamala Harris “supports mandatory gun confiscation.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 24, 2024 in a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina: Kamala Harris “wants to defund the police.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • July 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 24, 2024 in a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina: Kamala Harris “supported abolishing ICE.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • July 29, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 22, 2024 in an Instagram post: There are nine states “where Biden’s name can’t be removed and no one can be added. That’s over 130 electoral votes in the toilet.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ranjan Jindal • July 23, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 17, 2024 in a campaign video: \"Unlike Mike Pence, (JD) Vance said he would have carried out Trump\'s plan to overturn the 2020 election.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • July 18, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on July 16, 2024 in in a speech at RNC in Milwaukee: “Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • July 17, 2024 ### Georgia’s David Perdue said elections were stolen from him and Trump. Pants on Fire! * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: A video shows a body that Israel embedded with a bomb exploding during a Palestinian funeral procession. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in a post: “ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Gideon Hess • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: Former President Donald Trump admitted during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he “blew up the Nord Stream pipeline.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 10, 2024 in a Facebook post: Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila recalled because they contained fecal matter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Elissa Slotkin stated on September 11, 2024 in a TV ad: Mike Rogers supported “laws that could eliminate IVF and birth control.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 11, 2024 in an Instagram post: \"Debate moderators made the false claim to Donald Trump that there is nowhere in the United States where abortion is legal up until birth.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 12, 2024 in a Facebook post: ABC News fired presidential debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Yes on 4 stated on September 10, 2024 in a TV ad: Florida’s six-week abortion law has “no real exceptions. Not for her health. Not even for rape.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: Imagen muestra carnet del Partido Comunista de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Maria Briceño • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Sam Brown stated on August 28, 2024 in a campaign appearance: Proposed Nevada constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights would put “essentially no limit on access to abortion.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 13, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. 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The 2021 Georgia Senate runoff and the 2020 presidential election were stolen