U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia blasted Mitt Romney for his searing attack on President Donald Trump's leadership, urging the Republican to "reconsider his harmful behavior" that could help Democrats retake the White House.
The op-ed published Friday in The Washington Post comes as Perdue prepares for a competitive re-election campaign in 2020 in which he'll share the ballot with Trump. He's one of Trump's most forceful advocates in Washington, and he's only intensified that support in recent weeks.
In the piece, Perdue contends that Romney risks further dividing Republicans — and helping Democrats — by assailing Trump. He said Romney was making the same “mistake that many Republicans did in 2012 — a mistake that cost him the White House.”
“We have seen what a divided party means for Republicans. It means we help put Democrats in charge,” Perdue wrote. “It means we help them advance their radical liberal agenda, which has proven to fail the very people they claim to champion: the working women and men of America.”
Romney, who was elected Utah senator in November, heralded what could be a new Republican rivalry with his Washington Post editorial this week that criticized the president's character and leadership. He wrote that Trump's conduct over the past two years is "evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office."
That’s triggered backlash from Trump supporters — and the president himself, who mocked Romney’s 2012 loss to President Barack Obama and called on him to be a “team player and win.”
Perdue, in his op-ed, said criticism of the president is not off-limits but that it is "much more productive to have candid conversations behind the scenes."
“Like others who have run for president and failed, Romney has taken a stance that smacks of jealousy and resentment. It does nothing but serve the radical liberal left and further divides conservatives.
“As the only former chief executive of a Fortune 500 company in Congress, I was initially thrilled by the prospect of welcoming another business guy to the Senate. But Romney’s behavior — before he was sworn in or cast his first vote as the new senator from Utah — was deeply disappointing.
“He ran to the media instead of picking up the phone. That is exactly what is wrong with Washington. Too many career politicians focus on finger-pointing for their own self-interest rather than on getting results.”
Perdue has established himself as one of Trump's top allies since he unequivocally endorsed the president at the Georgia GOP convention in June 2016. But those close ties could be a liability with moderate voters who punished Republicans across the Atlanta suburbs in November.
Several Democrats considering a run against Perdue were quick to criticize his op-ed.
Sarah Riggs Amico, a logistics executive who ran for lieutenant governor, said that Perdue's rebuttal "neither defends, nor praises, the president's character." And state Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta, called Perdue an "unprincipled lap dog" for Trump.
The Republican, meanwhile, is trying to position himself as a vital "Trumpslainer" in a polarized Washington.
In a recent interview, Perdue said he'll remain one of Trump's most steadfast defenders on Capitol Hill — he once compared him to Winston Churchill — as the 2020 vote nears.
“I believe my role right now is to run as myself. I’m David Perdue. I’m not Donald Trump. I support him and his agenda. And when we disagree – well, believe me, we have private conversations about it,” he said, adding: “I’ve never tried to be a yes man. I’ve tried to be an honest broker.”
More: Inside Perdue’s 2020 race for another U.S. Senate term
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