Former University of Georgia, USFL and NFL star running back Herschel Walker filed to enter the U.S. Senate race in Georgia as a Republican, multiple reports said Tuesday.
The former Heisman Trophy winner supported former President Donald Trump, and Trump in turn publicly encouraged Walker to run in Georgia against Rev. Raphael Warnock, who won a seat in 2020.
Walker lives in Texas, but he registered to vote in Georgia earlier this month, signaling his intention to run.
The 59-year-old began his professional career in the now-defunct USFL for the Trump-owned New Jersey Generals. He racked up 61 total touchdowns in three seasons for the Generals before making the jump to the NFL.
In 12 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, Walker amassed 13,084 yards from scrimmage and 82 total touchdowns in 187 games (137 starts).
He won the Heisman in 1982 and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 for his career with the Bulldogs.
Herschel Walker is best known around the NFL world for being the centerpiece in the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings during the 1989 season. Said trade helped expedite Dallas’ rebuild under new owner Jerry Jones, leading to three Super Bowl titles the next decade.
Herschel Walker takes the dive into politics
As for politics, Walker has never run for public office. He is, however, considered a staunch Republican and has been long-time friends with former President Trump — the latter of whom predicted that Walker would end up running.
“He told me he’s going to, and I think he will,” Trump said back in June, via NPR. “He’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’ll tell you.”
(Field Level Media contributed to this report)