Herschel Walker is a sports legend in the state of Georgia.
After a disastrous showing in the state in 2020, having lost both Senate seats, one in a special election, President Trump had encouraged Walker to run for a Senate seat.
After some oppo research rehashed some past issues of Walker, the GOP is distancing itself from the endorsement, hoping Walker sits this one out.
Sit This One Out
When Trump started to drum up support for Walker, former Senator David Perdue bowed out of the race.
Perdue held one of the two seats that were lost, and his removal from the race was just fine with Trump supporters.
Trump’s people want new blood, and many feel that Walker would be the ideal candidate to go up against Senator Warnock (D-GA) in the 2022 cycle.
The problem, however, is that he has some domestic abuse allegations in his past.
More specifically that he had threatened his ex-wife’s life, allegedly pointing a gun at her and telling her, “I’m going to blow your f’ing brains out.”
If Walker runs, this will all be brought back up, which has some in the GOP worried that it could cost them the seat if Walker were to win the primary battle.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is among those, stating, “I want to win that race.
“And to the extent that he’s handicapped by some of these things that would make that unlikely, I’d prefer to have somebody else.”
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) agreed, stating, “He’s got the wow factor, the celebrity factor … But some of these issues he’s going to have to figure out how to answer.
“As a candidate you have to be able to respond to hard questions. And your background becomes an issue, your experience becomes an issue.
“Sometimes people who have success in one area of life and translate it to politics, it’s not as easy as it looks.”
Another Senate Republican who spoke anonymously with Politico stated, “Trump’s not doing so well. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some clout.
“But he’s not God … McConnell thinks that there are a lot of people out there that fundamentally don’t want the president just choosing this person.”
However, Walker’s history may not matter as Warnock is dealing with his own abuse allegations and a voting record that has many Georgians upset right now.
To that point, Senator Cramer (R-N.D.) stated, “Obviously on the surface, you’re starting to have to explain something that’s difficult and not necessarily favorable.
“But he’s running against somebody who is amassing a voting record as well, and Sen. Warnock will have to explain that to voters.”
Sources: National Review & Politico
