Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, stated in an interview with AWN that aired Tuesday afternoon, “I think we’re going to stick with Walker…we’re going to take it all the way to the conclusion.” “I believe they will persevere and fight to the end.”
Just hours before McConnell made his remarks, The Washington Post reported that “the mother of one of Herschel Walker’s children had to repeatedly press the former football player who is now the Republican Senate nominee in Georgia for funds to pay for a 2009 abortion that she said he wanted her to have, according to the woman and a person she confided in at the time.”
That was the most recent in a string of accusations involving Walker and his previous liaisons with women. In the midst of all of this, his conservative influencer son Christian has come out against his father, claiming that he was a bad dad and that his relatives had advised him not to run for politics.
The disparity between McConnell’s endorsement of Walker and the most recent accusation levelled against the Republican candidate for the Georgia Senate is stark. However, it highlights an uncomfortable truth that supports Republicans’ ongoing backing of Walker: It is now just too late to turn away from him and his damaged campaign because they desperately need to win this seat for the Senate majority.
Simple math is used in the Senate. To gain the majority, Republicans only need to gain one seat. However, Republicans are looking at a very small window of opportunity to accomplish the wins they need, since Dr. Mehmet Oz is trailing in Pennsylvania, where Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is retiring, and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is running surprisingly well against Blake Masters in Arizona.
a window with two seats, in reality. In Nevada, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Adam Laxalt are locked in a close contest, and, you got it, in Georgia, Sen. Raphael Warnock of the Democratic Party is still being challenged by Walker.
Republicans just don’t have any other board positions that would let them leave Walker in their wake. When popular Gov. Chris Sununu opted not to run, New Hampshire was widely considered as a potential pickup at the beginning of the election season. Instead, Trump supporter Don Bolduc won the Republican nomination. Sen. Maggie Hassan is undoubtedly in a better position than many anticipated even a year ago, despite the fact that Republican strategists still see her as vulnerable. Even though Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is trailing Republican nominee Joe O’Dea in Colorado, according to a Marist poll issued this week, he is still ahead of him by 48% to 41%.
Given all of that, McConnell is acting in a realpolitik-like manner. Not because he believes all of the accusations against Walker are untrue or because he thinks Walker is a great candidate, but rather because Walker gives him the best chance to win in a state where polls indicate Republicans can still win, explains why he is sticking with Walker.
I’m done now. Do not overthink it. Not about Walker at all. Actually, no. Simply put, this is about getting McConnell to 51 Senate seats.