Gary Black is dashing to fill a void in the Georgia Senate race created by Herschel Walker, but Republican insiders are split on his viability versus Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The 63-year-old Georgia agriculture commissioner unveiled endorsements from 60 sheriffs as he dared an undecided Walker, former President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate, to jump into the 2022 Republican Senate primary. A proven statewide vote-getter, Black is appealing to the Democratic-trending Atlanta suburbs with promises to crack down on rising crime and marketing his candidacy as the perfect combination of electability with the message: “Sometimes the nice guy and the tough guy are the same guy.”
“The tortoise always beats the hare when the hare sits on the sidelines,” said a Republican operative in Georgia who, like many party insiders, requested anonymity to discuss their skepticism of Walker. Trump is encouraging the 59-year-old former professional football player and star athlete at the University of Georgia to run for Senate, a move that has discouraged top Republicans reticent to cross the former president from mounting a campaign.
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Walker declined to reveal his plans or offer a timeline for publicizing a decision but indicated he is giving a Senate bid, and all that it entails, genuine consideration. “I do take this Senate decision very seriously, and I don’t think people realize that,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Keep reading at The Washington Examiner.
