The Daily

The Personal and Political Saga of Herschel Walker

Oct 17, 2022

Maya King, a Politics reporter for The New York Times specializing in the South, analyzes Herschel Walker's Senate campaign. Walker, a Georgia sports icon, faces scrutiny over personal controversies that challenge his political credibility. King discusses the shifting political landscape in Georgia, the strategies of candidates Walker and Raphael Warnock, and the significant impact of Walker's past on voter perceptions. The conversation delves into the complexities of campaigning amid scandal and the implications for the Republican Party's future.

29:30

Creator website

Episode guests

Maya King

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Herschel Walker's Senate Ambitions

9min

Navigating Personal Histories in a Political Race

4min

Herschel Walker: Personal Life and Political Contradictions

13min

Political Fallout and Cultural Reflections

3min

Herschel Walker, the former football star who is running for the Senate, is, according to the Times political reporter Maya King, a “demigod in Georgia sports and in Georgia culture.”

The midterm election in that state is crucial — it could determine whether Democrats keep control of the Senate. Mr. Walker’s candidacy, however, has been tainted by a slew of stories about his character, including claims that he paid for an abortion for a former girlfriend despite publicly opposing the procedure.

Guest: Maya King, a politics reporter covering the South for The New York Times.

Background reading:

How Republicans cast aside concerns and learned to love Mr. Walker.
Will any of the allegations against Mr. Walker actually matter?

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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