Walker keeping football career front-and-center at campaign party

It’s rather fitting that Republican Herschel Walker’s campaign watch party is being held at the College Football Hall of Fame this evening.

The University of Georgia running back and Heisman Trophy winner was inducted into the hall of fame in 1999. And Walker hasn’t hesitated to put his storied football career at the heart of his campaign to unseat Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock.

He often signs sports memorabilia at his campaign events, and on Saturday took pictures with UGA fans outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium before the SEC title game. Walker has solicited donations alongside his Heisman award and stood on the sidelines of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game with his former coach Vince Dooley before his death.

As political reporter Greg Bluestein noted earlier this fall, football has long been a part of the political playbook in Georgia, not just for Walker but for countless other politicians.