University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker, who lost a close U.S. Senate race in 2022 despite strong backing from Donald Trump, has been revealed as the president-elect’s pick for ambassador to the Bahamas.
Mr. Walker, the Republican candidate was defeated by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in a runoff after gaining an early endorsement from Mr. Trump, whose ties with the running-back-turned-political-hopeful go back to the 1980s.
The UGA standout who led the team to a national championship in the 1980 season as a freshman, followed by a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in his junior year, ran for office on his celebrity but ultimately was dogged by revelations about his past that damaged his campaign.
He is the third Georgian up for an ambassadorial role in the new Trump administration, following the selection of former Sen. David Perdue to China and Buckhead cityhood campaign leader Bill White to Belgium.
Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to the remainder of Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term but lost to Mr. Warnock in a 2021 runoff, has been tapped to lead the Small Business Administration.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Walker will be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate. Should he get the official nod, he’ll be the first ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau since 2011. Charges d’affaires have run the show as picks from each party have been stymied in Congress.
In 2022, President Joe Biden picked retired Georgia State Rep. Calvin Smyre, the longest-serving legislator in the state’s history, for the role, but his confirmation was never brought to a vote.
By one measure, Mr. Walker may feel right at home in Nassau: The U.S. ambassador’s residence is located on Sanford Drive, the same street name as Sanford Stadium in Athens, where the multi-sport athlete became Bulldog royalty during his time at UGA.
On Dec. 12, just before his ambassadorial appointment was announced, Mr. Walker received his bachelor’s degree, 40 years after he left the university to pursue a professional football career.
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