Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Walker has only confirmed he’s still considering a bid, but his likely candidacy is an open secret in Georgia’s political world. In recent weeks, he’s lined up advisers and started building the foundation of a campaign. Senior Republicans who once heard zip from Walker now see him as a surefire contender.
He would be the rare celebrity candidate in Georgia, a state where famous sports figures and media personalities have mainly steered clear of politics. (For example, Walker’s famed former coach, Vince Dooley, passed on a run for governor in the late 1980s, saying his heart wasn’t in it.)
His name recognition from his career at the University of Georgia, where he won the Heisman Trophy and led the team to a national championship, would be one of his greatest assets. So would his potential to help broaden the party’s appeal as a Black conservative in a matchup against Warnock, the first African American senator in the state’s history.
But Walker’s potential candidacy triggers more questions than a conventional candidate would face, some more freighted than others. His history of mental illness, including violent episodes he’s publicly addressed, will be invoked by rivals from both sides of the party divide.
And he must move to Georgia from Texas, where he’s lived most of his adult life, to woo a conservative base that knows him for his athletic legend — and not for his ability to connect with voters, his grasp of policy ideals or his prowess on the campaign trail.
“Herschel Walker will need to come back to Georgia and campaign. He will need to show that he is a conservative,” Doug Collins, a former Republican congressman and 2020 Senate candidate, said on his radio show.”