Conservatives React To Herschel Walker’s Georgia Senate Runoff Loss, Cast Blame On Different Figures | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Ryan Saavedra.

    Conservatives had mixed reactions to Herschel Walker's loss in Georgia's U.S. Senate runoff race Tuesday night, with some blaming former President Donald Trump for pushing Walker to run and others faulting GOP leaders for not doing enough to help the onetime NFL great.

    The runoff against Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) was held after both candidates failed to reach the 50% threshold to win the seat outright during last month's midterm elections. Warnock performed better this time around, improving his margin of victory from 40,000 votes to over 90,000.

    "One of the things I said is when they call the race, I said those numbers don't look like they're going to add up," Walker said in a concession speech. "I don't want any of you to stop believing in America. I want you to believe in America and continue to believe in the Constitution and believe in our elected officials. Most of all, continue to pray for them."

    Reaction to the loss was mixed online with many blaming Trump, others blaming Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and some blaming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

    Walker launched his campaign bid after Trump repeatedly urged him to get into the race, including in a public statement back in March 2021.

    "Wouldn't it be fantastic if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia?" Trump said in a statement. "He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL. He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!"

    Walker's 23-year-old son Christian Walker blamed Trump for the GOP's failure to take the seat, saying that it was Trump who got him in the race.

    "The Truth: Trump called my dad for months DEMANDING that he run," Christian Walker tweeted. "Everyone with a brain begged him: 'PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. This is too dirty, you have an insane past... PLEASE DONT DO THIS.' We got the middle finger. He ran."

    "Republicans, we say we don't play 'identity politics' and then you ran this man mainly because he was the same skin color as his opponent with no background other than football," he added. "A boring old Republican could have won."

    Notable responses included:

   

• Joey Jones, Fox News: "Republicans lost the seat much more than Democrats won it (again). At some point, perhaps, they'll learn."
• Scott Jennings, political strategist: "Georgia may be remembered as the state that broke Trump once and for all."
• Erick Erickson, Georgia-based radio host: "When @GOPChairwoman claims only the RNC worked in Georgia remember @BrianKempGA kept his ground operation going. @LeaderMcConnell poured $11 million into the state. The RNC didn't do as much, but McDaniel will want credit to save her job. It'd have been a blowout but for Kemp. ... No RNC Chair in the history of the whole party has lasted as long as Ronna McDaniel without seeing at least one winning election season. She took the job in 2017, and the GOP has lost every election cycle since."
• Ann Coulter, political author: "I sure hope Trump has some more brilliant ideas for can't-miss Senate candidates. Omarosa maybe? Carrot Top? Ghislaine Maxwell?"
• Caleb Hull, political commentator: "I hope we go into the next election with the realization that telling your base that their vote won't matter because the election will be stolen isn't a great strategy for winning... We had a layup this year and blew it. Time to move on."
• Robert Davi, actor: "The GOP is basically BRAINDEAD in my humble opinion! They are culturally tone deaf - and they have not come up with solutions! The messaging in the GOP is like Mitch McConnell a tired unenergetic uninspiring bore!!!!"
• Joe Concha, The Hill: "Not surprising. If Herschel couldn't win with Kemp on the ballot, he wasn't winning in a runoff without him. Full picture: GOP gains a narrow majority in the House. Democrats gain one seat overall in a 50-50 Senate. Unpopular president in the WH. No party is winning right now."
• AG, political commentator: "Walker being a bad/inexperienced candidate meant he couldn't fundraise himself, NRSC wasted all their $, and then Trump ate up all the small donors but then spent barely anything to back the guy he pushed on everyone."
• Andrew Egger, writer: "I'm sorry, but 'Senate Republicans didn't do enough to help Herschel Walker' is the most insane take I can imagine. Senate Republicans set aside every difference to try to lug Walker across the finish line! He proved himself unluggable!"