“He did 5,000 sit-ups and 5,000 push-ups every evening, he says, during commercial breaks of his favorite television shows. He ran laps on a path his father cleared for him and, later, the five miles to town — and back. At track practice, he dragged a tractor tire his coach loaded with 10-pound shots.” Stories like this about Herschel Walker are common knowledge among football players and fans and they make up just part of the lore related to a guy who is a full on sports hero in Georgia. He’s also very likely to be that state’s GOP nominee for Senate. He may reach that position without having to chat with unfriendly journalists, come up with any definitive positions—or even opinions—on issues, or be able to speak knowledgeably on any of the major political issues of the day. Those should be factors when selecting a person to become a member of what used to be considered America’s most selective clubs. But times have changed and the Bulldog days of a new era is upon us. John Rosengren takes you behind the scenes of Herschel Walker’s last run. (Actually, he only really got in front of the scenes because Walker nixed the interview, explaining, “Someone overheard you say you didn’t think I could win this thing.” WaPo Magazine (Gift Article): Backed by Trump, a Troubled Georgia Football Legend Eyes a Senate Seat. “The devotion of his followers runs deep. Take Sue Hall, who graduated in Walker’s class, still lives in Wrightsville and appears in one of his campaign commercials. When asked about Walker’s violent past, including allegations that he threatened to kill his ex-wife, she told me, ‘He’s probably like every one of us; he’s had his issues and had to grow. All of us have to adjust.’ When I said, ‘Yes, but most of us haven’t threatened to kill someone,’ she responded, ‘I believe in him. He’s a moral person. Even if he were not a former classmate, I’d vote for him because of his values.'” (As someone who has yet to break 5,000 pushups in a lifetime, I’d vote for him, too. But for team captain, not the Senate.)

+ In Ohio, the combination of Peter Thiel’s money and Donald Trump’s endorsement helped JD Vance win the much-contested Ohio GOP Senate nomination. Even after all of it — the lying, the cheating, the insurrection, the attacks on the electoral system, the praise for Putin’s genius invasion — Trump’s endorsement is still the most powerful one in the GOP. And being wildly wrong about the most important conflict in the world doesn’t hurt a bit. Vance stated that, “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” and stuck by that position.