The Personal and Political Saga of Herschel Walker

<p>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.”</p><p>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.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/maya-king?smid=pc-thedaily">Maya King</a>, a politics reporter covering the South for The New York Times.</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>How Republicans cast aside concerns and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/14/us/politics/herschel-walker-georgia-republicans.html"> learned to love Mr. Walker</a>.</li><li>Will any of the allegations against Mr. Walker<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/upshot/herschel-walker-midterms-analysis.html"> actually matter?</a></li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>