The GOP Senate hopeful from Georgia has skated through the lead-up to the primary. If he wins, Democrats are planning an intense campaign against him.
Last summer, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell was nervous about Herschel Walker, seeing stories about the rookie candidate's turbulent past and fearful that an unvetted and untested Republican could implode in the heat of the biggest Senate race in the country.
But not long after he suggested to allies that former Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler should consider running, McConnell heard a different story -- from Walker himself. Over the course of multiple conversations, Walker and McConnell talked about the campaign, the candidate's life story and the GOP leader's view of running in a race like this, according to people familiar with the calls. "I think this guy is the real deal," McConnell said to Sen.