OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
In the race for the Republican nomination to run for Senate in Georgia, former NFL running back Herschel Walker is running away with it.
According to an On Message Inc. poll, Walker, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, holds a significant lead on all the other candidates.
The Georgia Senate race will likely be the most important in the country in the 2022 midterm elections. Democrats have a 50-50 majority in the Senate given Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote for Democrats.
Walker will challenge Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
And as The Hill noted: “But the 2022 Georgia Senate race is a key offensive opportunity for Republicans, who are hoping to recapture the Senate majority next year.”
The Georgia Senate race next November could determine which party controls the Senate, so Walker polling so well is a good sign for Republicans.
The one-time football great received 74 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.
Among voters who identified as “conservative,” Walker received 81 percent.
Those who said they were “moderate” approved of Walker by 61 percent.
Breitbart reported:
Overall, Gary Black was the closest competitor, only six percent in the poll, giving Walker a 68 percent lead over his nearest competitor.
The poll also showed that Walker has “near-universal” name identification among Republican primary voters, with 74 percent favorable and only six percent unfavorable. Only 15 percent said they have “no opinion,” and six percent said they “never heard of [him].”
The survey from On Message Inc. was conducted between October 11 and 14. The survey asked 400 likely Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
Run Herschel Run!
Hershel Walker has big, early lead in GOP primary contest for Georgia Senate seathttps://t.co/nKbeZjS3dF
— PatriotAU 🇺🇸🦅 (@PatriotAU) November 1, 2021
“The strategic implications of these findings are significant as they strongly suggest that Walker will enjoy strong party unity when he enters the general election,” the poll results noted.
Shortly after Walker filed and formally announced, Donald Trump officially endorsed him, calling Walker “a friend, a Patriot, and an outstanding American.”
“Herschel Walker will never let you down,” Trump said in a statement. Walker in turn thanked the former President in a tweet, writing: “Together, we will win back the U.S. Senate for GEORGIA!!”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also endorsed Walker.
“I am happy to endorse Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia,” McConnell said in a statement .”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.”
Walker thanked McConnell for the endorsement and for “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.”
“I am proud to endorse Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia,” Sen. John Thune, the number-two Senate Republican, said on Monday as he endorsed Walker.
