Herschel Walker releases campaign ad highlighting hometown roots

ATLANTA — One day after a Republican U.S. Senate rival launched a statewide radio ad campaign, University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker released a digital ad focusing on his Wrightsville hometown roots.

The ad features Don Norton, head football coach and athletic director at Johnson County High School.

“People always talk about what a great player he was,” Norton says in the ad. “To me and to our kids here at Johnson County High School, he’s more of a role model and a fantastic human being. He treats everybody as if they are more important than he is.

“He is a small-town guy who lifts people up instead of bringing them down. … I think Herschel Walker would make a great leader. He’s humble. He’s honest. He’s sincere, and he’s always stood for the right things.”

On Tuesday, one of Walker’s three GOP rivals, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, began running a radio ad statewide highlighting his recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. In the ad, Black criticized Walker – who has been endorsed by former President Trump – for what Black’s campaign called Walker’s pro-amnesty, pro-citizenship position on illegal immigration.

Walker’s campaign responded by declaring Walker backs Trump’s position on the importance of securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock – the Democrat Walker, Black, Kelvin King and Latham Saddler want to unseat — reported his campaign raised more than $9.5 million during the third quarter of this year in a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Earlier this month, Walker reported raising $3.7 million during the first five weeks of his campaign. Contributions came from nearly 50,000 donors from all 50 states.

Black raised more than $1.3 million through Sept. 30, according to his third-quarter campaign finance report.