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Is Herschel Walker game-ready for the gridiron of Georgia politics?

Jul 1, 2021

2 min

He once dominated the NFL and is still considered the greatest college running back of all time. But Herschel Walker is now suiting up for a different game and as the original GOAT gets ready to enter the political arena, Joshua Kennedy, Ph.D., an associate professor of political science at Georgia Southern University, is being contacted by media for what he thinks the former superstar needs to do to get across the electoral goal line.



In a recent interview with WJCL, Kennedy said, "When it comes to a potential candidate like Herschel Walker who has the celebrity factor in the state of Georgia, who helped bring UGA their national title in 1980, who won the Heisman trophy, is still very well-beloved by the people of Georgia, it could make for an interesting race."


At this point, Kennedy believes Warnock would be more likely to win the race.

"I think Sen. Warnock has an engaged base and if I were prognosticating at this point, I would say he is a little likelier than not to win," he said.


However, Kennedy believes the former president's endorsement of Walker would help the Georgia Bulldog secure a significant number of votes.

"The fact that he has the endorsement and support of the former president would carry a lot of weight with Republican voters in the state," he said.


In order for someone like Walker to win, Kennedy said he would have to appeal to both the Republican base and independents.


"I think that Walker needs to energize the base first and foremost, then focus on finding particular issues that speak to the concerns of Georgians including those non-affiliated voters who could be gettable for a Republican," Kennedy said.


He would also need to instill a sense of reliance and competence in Georgians.


"Voters want politicians who are oriented towards solving problems," Kennedy said. "He’s going to have demonstrate that he is able to do that, that he has that level of competence, which will be difficult considering he has not been in political office before. That will give Raphael Warnock a bit of that incumbent advantage by virtue of being in office, he can point to things he's worked on that Herschel Walker can’t."


Kennedy said if Walker were to win, it would make it difficult for Democrats to maintain control of the senate. June 30 – ABC News



If you are a reporter looking to cover this subject – then let our experts help. Contact Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu for an interview with Joshua Kennedy.


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