President George W. Bush to appear at event for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, opponent of Trump-backed Purdue

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Former President George W. Bush will appear later this month at a fundraiser for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who has been targeted by former President Donald Trump as the conservative governor runs for reelection this year.

The fundraiser will be held at the Texas home of real estate developer Harlan Crow, according to an invitation obtained by Fox News. Bush is listed as a "special guest."

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Tickets for a V.I.P. reception are listed at $15,200, while the general reception is priced at $5,000.

Former President George W. Bush gives a thumbs-up before a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Bush will appear at a fundraiser for Gov. Brian Kemp. (AP)

Kemp is a first-term conservative governor who’s facing a primary challenge from former GOP Sen. David Perdue, who is backed by Trump. 

Four years ago, with the support of Trump, Kemp narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams to win the governorship. But Kemp earned Trump’s ire starting in late 2020, after the governor certified President Biden's narrow victory in Georgia in the presidential election following multiple recounts of the vote. Trump, who had unsuccessfully urged the governor and other top Republican officials in the state to overturn the results, has now returned to Georgia twice to campaign against Kemp. 

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Trump for months urged Perdue to challenge the governor, and late last year he endorsed Perdue a day after the former senator launched his bid. Perdue declared his candidacy a few days after Abrams, a voting rights champion and rising star in the Democratic Party, launched her second straight bid for governor.

Bush's upcoming appearance at the fundraiser for Perdue is the latest example of the tension between the Trump and Bush families. Trump often insulted Bush during his 2016 campaign for president repeatedly threw jabs at Bush's brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was a Trump rival for the GOP nomination.

Bush has also helped raise money for two other Republican politicians high atop Trump's GOP target list - Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

News of the Bush appearance for Kemp was first reported by Politico and confirmed by Fox News.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia formally launches his 2022 reelection campaign at a kick-off event in Perry, Georgia, on July 10, 2021 (Brian Kemp 2022 reelection campaign)

As first reported nationally by Fox News on Monday, Kemp hauled in over $2.7 million in fundraising in April, added to his already formidable war chest.

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Kemp holds a large fundraising advantage over Perude, and also enjoys a large  25-point lead over Perdue in an average of the three most recent public opinion surveys of likely Georgia GOP primary voters.

Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Sen. David Perdue, who's primary challenging GOP Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, at the former president's rally in Cumming, Ga. on March 26, 2022 (David Perdue campaign)

Perdue has struggled to tap the same network of big donors that sustained his two Senate runs, despite his endorsement by Trump. After having less than $1 million in cash on hand at the end of January, Perdue hinted he would crack his own $50 million fortune to try to keep up with Kemp's spending.

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Trump hosted a fundraiser for Perdue at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where contributors had to give $3,000 to attend.