ATLANTA (AP) – Herschel Walker on Tuesday tabled proceedings to run for the U.S. Senate in Georgia after months of speculation, and joined other Republicans who wanted to oust Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022.
Walker, 59, joins the race with high recognition as he won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 as a University of Georgia runner. Perhaps most important in the current Republican party, it has the support of former President Donald Trump.
Walker has never run for office and will likely face scrutiny over his turbulent personal history. as well as political stances. But if he leaves the Republican primaries, the contest in the Senate will feature two black men competing for a seat in the heart of the deep south.
Walker became a mother on Tuesday and continued with a pattern of few comments when she began launching an offer in the Senate. He registered to vote last week, using an Atlanta residence owned by his wife, Julie Blanchard. Walker on Tuesday signed papers from the Federal Electoral Commission declaring his candidacy, which allowed him to raise money for a Senate candidacy.
Republicans running for the Senate seat include state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, former bank executive and Navy veteran Latham Saddler and contractor Kelvin King. Some other possible GOP candidates may not enter the race, including former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in a January special election, and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a four-term congressman from near Savannah.
The relationship between Walker and Trump dates back to the 1980s, when Walker played on a Trump-owned team in the long season of the United States Football League. Walker, who played 12 seasons in the NFL, spoke in support of Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention and later attended the private celebration of Trump’s birthday.
Trump has publicly encouraged Walker to enter the primaries and told a radio show in June that “he’s a fantastic guy, he’s a patriot and he’s a very loyal person, he’s a very strong person. I love you in Georgia, I tell you. ”
With Trump as the “defining figure” in today’s Republican Party, University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said his support could be all Walker needs.
“If he tells them they have to go out and vote for Herschel Walker, that’s the strongest support he can get,” Bullock said.
Walker supporters hope he can reach out to moderate Republicans and strip some traditionally Democratic African Americans. But the former president’s support could be a responsibility in a narrowly divided general election in Georgia, where a crucial fraction of the more affluent Republican Party voters left Democrat Joe Biden.
“At the end of this long, divisive and expensive intra-party struggle, it will be clear that none of these candidates are focusing on the issues that most interest Georgians,” Democratic Party of Georgia spokesman Dan said in a statement. Gottlieb.
Walker could share a Republican ticket with Gov. Brian Kemp, a frequent target of Trump attacks, as Kemp seeks re-election. Trump has promised revenge against Kemp, saying he did not do enough to undo Trump’s electoral loss. It’s unclear whether this enmity would hurt Republicans ’chances, as Democrats could get a joint ticket from Warnock and Stacey Abrams. Walker backed Kemp, an avid Georgia football fan, in Kemp’s victory over Abrams in 2018.
Warnock has already raised $ 10.5 million for the 2022 race, but has downplayed Walker’s entry. He now travels the state promoting a work agenda.
“And I feel like there’s going to be a race next year,” Warnock told the Atlanta Press Club last week when asked about Walker.
Black has modified Walker for his long absence from Georgia, and he did so again Tuesday in a video that “welcomed” Walker to the race and challenged him to come to a Republican fish Saturday south of Macon.
“I guess I’ve always wanted an autograph,” Black said, holding up a tough football. “But there are some things that are much more important now: the future of our country, the future of our families.”
Sadler said in a statement that it is a better option as a “next-generation conservative leader who can beat Raphael Warnock.”
“This campaign is not about the glories of yesterday; it’s about the future of our nation, ”Sadler said.
Walker has lived outside of Dallas and is making his first career in office. Without being tested as a candidate, it is unclear whether he will be an advocate or fundraiser, while exploring positions on political issues that he has never had to address in detail. Walker has backed Trump’s unfounded claims that he was deceived by re-election.
Walker also has a turbulent personal history that can influence a campaign.
A review of the Associated Press’ public records revealed detailed allegations that Walker repeatedly threatened the life of his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, by telling his relatives that he would kill Grossman and her new boyfriend. Walker denied the allegations, but a judge issued a protection order in 2005 and, for a time, banned Walker from possessing weapons.
In 2008, Walker wrote a book detailing his struggles with mental illness. He wrote that he had been diagnosed with a dissociative identity disorder, once known as a multiple personality disorder. He said he built alternative personalities as a defense against the harassment he suffered as a stuttering and overweight child. Walker was raised in Wrightsville, 80 miles (80 kilometers) east of Macon.
Walker also wrote on the kitchen table about playing Russian roulette with a gun in 1991. Overall, Walker threw his story as a change, saying he found a path to “integration” because of therapy and their Christian faith.
The book caused problems in one of Walker’s key business relationships. In a 2019 legal statement, a manager of food distributor Sysco said the company nearly severed ties with Walker’s poultry company, Renaissance Man Food Services, when the book created “havoc”. Ultimately, Sysco stayed with Walker’s company until the controversy faded.
Walker has recently made large claims about its commercial success. He repeatedly claimed that his company employed hundreds of workers and earned revenue of $ 70 million or more in annual sales.
But Walker’s company reported only eight employees when it applied for a federal check from the Check Protection Program last year. In a recent court case, Walker said his company earned an average of about $ 1.5 million a year in profits between 2008 and 2017.
State election officials opened an investigation into his wife’s residence after reporting to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution records show Blanchard voted in Georgia despite living in Texas. Walker is one of Trump’s supporters who continues to repeat the president’s false claim that he stole the 2020 election for fraud. Election officials across the country found no widespread fraud.
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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.