ATLANTA — Georgia voters will decide in five weeks whether to put a former football star in the U.S. Senate.
First-time candidates can and do parlay their careers in football into careers in the U.S. Senate. Just ask folks in the state of Alabama.
When Herschel Walker seeks votes in Georgia – voters often flock to him because of his celebrity status as a star running back for the University of Georgia football team.
When Tommy Tuberville sought votes in Alabama in 2020 – he drew votes from residents who remembered his successful 10 years as a football coach at Auburn University.
"It's not unusual for celebrities to parlay their success from one arena to get into success in the political arena," said Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University.
Athletes from Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning to football star Jack Kemp had long, successful careers in politics. Entertainment celebrities like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump had the same cachet with voters.
Walker’s candidacy comes on the heels of Tuberville – who won votes in Alabama while turning down debates and mostly avoiding political reporters. Walker will skip an Atlanta Press Club debate this month, as he did in the primary– though he’s accepting one debate in Savannah with Democrat Raphael Warnock.
"Tommy Tuberville avoided interviews while running," Gillespie said. "That helps to eliminate possibilities of candidates making gaffes."
However, Walker is straying from Tuberville’s campaign model – created for a Republican running in a red state.
Walker started engaging reporters, especially after he won the Republican primary in May. Walker has been behind or tied with Warnock in most polls – and has had to take more risks than Tuberville did.
Tuberville won in Alabama with the backing of Trump. Walker is running in Georgia because Trump talked up his candidacy. Yet, it will be Walker’s race to win or lose – five weeks from now.