Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has come out in support of Herschel Walker’s US Senate bid in Georgia, joining former President Donald Trump in endorsing the former NFL star as Republicans try to win back the chamber in 2022.
McConnell (R-Ky.) was reportedly reluctant to back Walker over concern with the legendary running back’s ability to win in Georgia, and he once suggested that former GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue run again.
But he seemed to come around after a couple of “cordial conversations” with Walker, Fox News reported.
Walker, 59, is running in the Republican primary in Georgia to face Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock on Nov. 8, 2022 — a race that could decide which party will hold a majority in the Senate.
“I am happy to endorse Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia,” McConnell said. “Herschel is the only one who can unite the party, defeat Senator Warnock, and help us take back the Senate. I look forward to working with Herschel in Washington to get the job done.”
McConnell is the sixth senator to back Walker — a group that includes Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Steve Daines of Montana, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Walker thanked the minority leader for his support.
“I appreciate Leader McConnell’s endorsement and his commitment to bringing the party together toward the collective goal of defeating Senator Warnock. The Democrats have already said they will spend whatever it takes to keep Georgia blue. The stakes have never been higher — if we all work together, we will win next November, and take back the Senate,” Walker’s campaign said in a statement.
Trump was one of the first to urge Walker, who won the 1982 Heisman Trophy while playing at the University of Georgia, to run for the Senate.
He endorsed Walker, who played for a while in Trump’s USFL league in the ’80s, in September, saying he “embodies ‘America First’ and the winning spirit of Georgia.”
But Walker, who has faced allegations that he threatened his ex-wife and has admitted to suffering from a personality disorder, must defeat primary challengers Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and former Navy SEAL Latham Saddler to get his shot against Warnock.
He has denied the claims that he threatened his ex-wife.
With Post wires