Ahead of next year’s midterm elections, pundits on both sides of the aisle will be focused intently on Georgia.
As Republicans plot a path to successfully challenge U.S. Sen Raphael Warnock (D-GA), however, it appears that potential GOP candidates are holding off on making an announcement until former President Donald Trump weighs in with his pick.
“Wouldn’t it be great”
According to the Washington Examiner, several Georgia Republicans shying away from announcing their future political ambitions until further notice from the ex-president.
For his part, Trump has indicated that he believes former NFL player Herschel Walker should throw his hat in the ring to take on Warnock in the upcoming election. The current senator won the seat in a special election in January and will be running again next year in hopes of securing a full six-year term.
“Wouldn’t it be great if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia?” Trump wrote in March.
He predicted that Walker “would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL,” adding that the athlete is “also a GREAT person.”
Walker, who has been a vocal Trump supporter in recent years, is said to have privately expressed an interest in pursuing a Senate seat. In public interviews, however, he has been hesitant to make any definitive statements on the matter.
“There are people kicking the tires”
“Right now, [I’m] just going through the process and thinking about it,” Walker said recently. “Not really talking a lot about it.”
As for those who have already confirmed they will not be running for elected office in the next cycle, the list includes at least two high-profile Georgia Republicans: former Sen. David Purdue and former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins.
Purdue cited personal reasons for his decision whereas Collins ruled out a future bid after losing a primary race to former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who is among those still being discussed as a possible Warnock challenger.
One GOP operative cited by the Examiner noted that other candidates are biding their time until Trump or Walker make a decisive move, noting: “There are people kicking the tires on it, but they’re just not going to do so publicly until they really get a sense of what Herschel is going to do.”
In any case, it seems clear that the seat currently occupied by Warnock will be one of the most important offices up for grabs in the upcoming midterms — and it is one that will certainly be the focus of nationwide news coverage.
The post GOP Senate hopefuls in Georgia stalling until Trump pick makes announcement: Reports first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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