Former NFL running back Herschel Walker is making his entrance into politics official after declaring his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Georgia on Wednesday, looking to take down Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022.
"Our country is at a crossroads, and I can’t sit on the sidelines anymore," Walker wrote in a statement.
"America is the greatest country in the world, but too many politicians in Washington are afraid to say that," he continued. "In the United States Senate, I will stand up for conservative values and get our country moving in the right direction. It is time to have leaders in Washington who will fight to protect the American Dream for everybody."
The announcement comes after months of speculation and at the urging of former President Trump, whom Walker has been close friends with for decades.
“Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia? He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL,” Trump said in a statement this spring. “He is also a GREAT person. Run, Herschel, run!”
In his statement, Walker spoke about how his life has been the embodiment of the American Dream but expressed concern about how possible that is for many Americans now.
"[W]here else could a poor kid from a small town in Georgia become valedictorian of his high school, earn the Heisman Trophy, play professional football, represent the United States in the Olympics, and become CEO of multiple companies?” he said. “I have lived the American Dream, but I am concerned it is slipping away for many people."
Walker enters a field of GOP contenders that includes state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and military veterans Latham Saddler and Kelvin King. Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in the January runoff elections, has not ruled out running again.