Herschel Walker is running … for office this time.
The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and ex-NFL great filed paperwork Tuesday to enter Georgia’s US Senate race after months of speculation.
Walker, 59 — a former running back from the University of Georgia who went on to play for NFL teams including the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles — is joining a number of other Republicans who hope to beat out Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Walker is entering the race with little more than name recognition and the support of former President Donald Trump.
The retired pro-athlete grew up in Wrightsville about 50 miles east of Macon but hasn’t lived in Georgia in more than 30 years and has never run for office.
Walker has had a close relationship with Trump since the 1980s, when he played on a Trump-owned team in the United States Football League. The pair’s relationship is expected to be key in Walker’s bid to stand out in Georgia’s GOP primary.
Walker, who supported and parroted Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 election was “stolen,” was publicly encouraged by the former POTUS for office.
“[Walker’s] a great guy, he’s a patriot, and he’s a very loyal person, he’s a very strong person. They love him in Georgia, I tell you,” Trump said on a radio show in June.
Walker was a speaker at the 2020 Republican National Convention, where he spoke in support of Trump and also recently attended the former president’s private 75th birthday bash at his Bedminster, NJ, golf course.
Walker, also a one-time Olympic bobsledder, only registered to vote last week, using the address of an Atlanta property his wife owns, and signed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday that made his bid official and allowed him to start raising campaign dollars.
He is expected to face scrutiny over his dodgy personal history, which includes allegations that he threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated success he claimed to have had in the private sector and disputes with business associates.
To get a shot at the senate seat, Walker will have to beat out the state’s agriculture commissioner, Gary Black, Navy veteran and former banking executive Latham Saddler and Kelvin King, a contractor, who’ve all already entered the race.
Walker — who also played football for the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants — has yet to publicly comment on tossing his hat in the ring.
With Post Wires