Photo at Fundraiser With Donald Trump and David Perdue Will Cost $24,000
An election fundraiser is charging attendees a hefty price to get a photo taken with Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate David Perdue and former President Donald Trump.
The event, which is charging $24,200 for the photo, will take place March 16 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. For those who only want to attend the reception and not get the photo, the cost is $3,000 per person.
Trump, who has maintained his tight hold on the Republican Party since leaving office, has been actively endorsing candidates in this year's upcoming midterm races. He's backed more than 50 people running for federal office and at least 13 in gubernatorial races, including Perdue.
The cost for the photo is not tax-deductible, according to the fine print on the invitation. It also states the maximum contribution amounts someone can make to a candidate in election categories. An individual is limited to contributing "$7,600 for the 2022 Primary Election, $7,600 for the 2022 General Election and $4,500 for the potential Primary and General Runoff Election for a total of $24,200," or the price of the photo.
Perdue, a former U.S. senator, has raised a fraction of what his opponent, GOP Governor Brian Kemp, has raised. Although Perdue raised more than $100 million during his 2020 Senate reelection campaign, according to the nonprofit Open Secrets, he has been struggling to bring in donors even with Trump's endorsement. Now, the former president appears to be stepping in to help raise some much-needed campaign funds for Perdue with the Mar-a-Lago event.
Kemp raised more than $7.4 million between July 1, 2021, and the end of January. Perdue has raised just over $1 million since December 2021, when he launched his campaign, and the end of January. Purdue also has less cash available, with just $900,000, while Kemp reportedly has $12.7 million.
"The numbers are crystal clear: David Perdue does not have the resources to win this primary, but he does have the ability to elect Stacey Abrams as our next governor," Kemp's campaign said in a memo, referring to the prominent Georgia Democrat.
Recent polling shows Kemp also has the lead with GOP voters. Kemp has the support of 49 percent of potential voters, while Perdue has only 40 percent, according to a Trafalgar Group survey.
"If Trump wasn't behind Perdue, Perdue would have a difficult time unseating Brian Kemp. That's just a fact," Jay Williams, a Republican strategist in Georgia, told Newsweek.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump Organization for comment about the photo opportunity but didn't receive a response before publication.
Update 02/17/22, 03:45 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with more background and information.
