Daily Beast: “Week by week, the Republican field to take on Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in 2022 keeps developing the way Donald Trump wants: into a would-be coronation for football legend and Trump family favorite Herschel Walker. On Monday, former Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) announced he would not run for U.S. Senate, becoming the latest and most high-profile figure to bow out of consideration. GOP circles considered the stalwart Trump ally to be a likely candidate for the office. He sought the Senate seat just last year, after all, when he unsuccessfully challenged his fellow Republican, then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler. But even with no GOP incumbent in his way this time, Collins ruled himself out – and he did it surprisingly early. Some Georgia insiders say that Walker didn’t play a role in Collins’ calculus, but the former University of Georgia football great is casting an undeniable shadow over the GOP primary as he decides whether to run.”

“And that is because it is abundantly clear to all Republicans how badly Trump and his family want Herschel Walker to run. Publicly, the former president has encouraged Walker to run against Warnock. But his behind-the-scenes push has been even more robust. In recent weeks, Trump has personally asked GOP senators to call Walker and urge him to get in the race, according to two people familiar with those conversations. He has even merged senators onto his own calls with Walker to push them to make the pitch. (Walker could not be reached for comment.) With Trump’s enthusiastic support behind him, however, Walker could be tough to beat in a GOP primary in Georgia. But the party needs a candidate who can take down Warnock, and there’s a sense among some Republicans in the state that an untested first-time candidate like Walker could be a risky prospect in what may be the most closely-watched Senate race in the country. Given those concerns – and the continued uncertainty over where Walker actually stands on a run – some Republicans aren’t taking the prospect of his candidacy all that seriously. Neither are many Democrats. The most important person in the GOP, however, is extremely serious, and that’s all that matters right now.”