Herschel Walker skips Georgia’s GOP convention

Former NFL player Herschel Walker, whom former President Trump has encouraged to mount a Senate bid in Georgia, skipped the state GOP’s convention over the weekend, punting on a key opportunity to lay the groundwork for a campaign.

Walker’s absence from the gathering, which was reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is likely to raise some eyebrows. He’s already said publicly that he is considering a Senate run in 2022, when Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) will be back on the ballot. And Trump has already suggested that Walker would have his endorsement should he get into the race.

The Georgia Senate race, which is expected to be among the most competitive of the 2022 midterm cycle, has already drawn several candidates.

On Friday, state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black (R) announced a run for the seat. And two other high-profile Republicans, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler and state House Speaker David Ralston, are also said to be eyeing campaigns regardless of whether Walker runs. 

Still, some are waiting to see what Walker does before they make a decision. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who has expressed interest in a Senate bid, has said that he won’t run for the seat if Walker enters the race. 

Georgia shot to the top of Senate Republicans’ target list after Warnock scored an upset victory over Loeffler in a January runoff election, one of two Senate runoffs in the state that helped hand Democrats their narrow majority in the upper chamber.