Star Georgia running back and mediocre NFL running back Herschel Walker (Don’t look at me like that. If he was so great then why isn’t he in the NFL Hall of Fame?) has filed to run for the U.S. Senate to represent Georgia with the support of his friend and savior, Donald Trump.
According to Politico, Walker is set to announce his candidacy Wednesday as a GOP candidate who stands ahead of the other candidates after a heavy-handed endorsement from the orange demi-god of the Republican Party. If he wins the GOP primary, Walker will take on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL,” Trump said in a written statement earlier this year about the former running back, Politico notes. “He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!”
Yes, Run Herschel, run! Which kind of has an O.J. ring to it, doesn’t it?
Herschel is a legend in Georgia after his collegiate career at the University of Georgia in which he was unstoppable. That star power alone will make him a lead GOP candidate to take on Warnock, “who became the first African American from Georgia to serve in the Senate when he won a special election in January. If Walker clears the primary, it would set up a rare matchup between two Black major-party candidates,” Politico reports.
Hmmmm...I’ll go with it, I guess.
While Walker’s people are playing coy about his announcement, Politico learned that paperwork has been filed with the Federal Election Commission establishing his candidacy and organization Tuesday.
Politico notes that “Republicans close to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have privately expressed concerns about whether Walker is ready for the intense pressure of a campaign that could decide control of the chamber.”
That might have something to do with Walker sounding like a slab of concrete that was given a mouth and limited motor skills.
“Herschel Walker is a great American and a great Republican,” The National Republican Senatorial Committee said in a statement. “If he runs, he will join a strong group of Republican candidates and be a formidable candidate. Georgia Republicans will have a spirited primary. We’re confident that whoever wins the primary will be well-positioned to beat Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders’ favorite Democrat, Raphael Warnock.”
But it’s not like Walker’s going to have an easy path to victory.
From Politico:
Walker was accused by his ex-wife of being “physically abusive” and displaying “extremely threatening behavior.” According to the Associated Press, Walker has also exaggerated the success of his chicken distribution business, Renaissance Man Food Services, and clashed with business partners. Walker openly discussed his mental health challenges by penning a 2008 book, “Breaking Free,” in which he disclosed he had multiple personalities that he was able to overcome due to therapy and his Christian faith.
“He’s a dynamic guy, really charismatic,” said one Georgia Republican who met with Walker and discussed his potential campaign before deciding it wasn’t the right fit. “There are lots of questions about his past. He doesn’t want to really talk about it, and I’m not sure he knows that he’s going to have to talk about it anyway.”
And get this: Walker’s current wife, Julie Blanchard, is being investigated by Georgia election officials as to why she voted in Georgia’s 2020 election even though her residency shows her living in Texas, where the couple have lived for years.
Walker has reportedly “changed his voter registration from Texas to Georgia ahead of officially launching his campaign,” Politico reports.
Walker, with a Trump endorsement, has a good shot of taking Warnock’s seat but a lot has to happen before that.. and never underestimate the power of Georgia kingmaker Stacey Abrams, who will campaign for Warnock and bring people to the polls and thusly end any chance of Walker doing anything in Georgia politics.