Herschel Walker projected to win GOP U.S. Senate primary

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Trump-backed former football star Herschel Walker is the projected winner of Georgia's Republican U.S. Senate primary.

Credit: Riley Bunch / GPB News

Former University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker comfortably secured the state's Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, according to an election called by The Associated Press.

Walker, backed by former President Donald Trump, is one of the party's top fundraisers as the GOP seeks to regain control of the upper chamber after losing both of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats in January 2021 runoffs.

The first-time candidate's celebrity status — and a campaign that has largely avoided public events and non-friendly media interviews — prevailed in a crowded six-way race to face Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in November.

Challengers including Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and military veteran Latham Saddler failed to gain much traction in the state against Walker, whose claim to fame includes winning the college football Heisman Trophy, playing in the National Football League and competing as an Olympic athlete.

While top Republicans like Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have embraced Walker, local Republicans have warned that his untested campaign and past controversies might not be successful against Warnock in a general election.

Walker, who has openly discussed his struggles with dissociative identity disorder, faces past accusations of violence against women and threatening behavior and an onslaught of reports of overstated business successes and personal achievements before running for office.

Both Walker and Warnock are now looking ahead towards a costly, bruising general election campaign in November. Warnock's campaign issued a state of the race memo highlighting Warnock's time in office so far and attacking Walker's controversial past.

"While Reverend Warnock continues to do the job for all Georgians, Walker has quickly shown Georgians he’s not ready to be a U.S. Senator," Warnock campaign manager Quentin Fulks wrote. "As the election continues, our campaign remains confident that when faced with the choice between Reverend Warnock and Walker, Georgians will choose to send Reverend Warnock back to Washington to continue working for them."