Former NFL star and Republican Herschel Walker raises $3.7 million in five weeks for his Georgia Senate bid

• Former NFL star Herschel Walker has raised $3.7 million since entering the Georgia Senate race.
• The fundraising haul is the strongest start for a GOP Senate candidate in the state this year.

Former NFL player and Republican Herschel Walker hauled in $3.7 million for his 2022 Senate bid in Georgia since announcing his candidacy about five weeks ago, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

On Monday, Walker's campaign announced that it has collected campaign contributions from almost 50,000 donors in every US state since entering the race against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was elected in a special runoff election in January to fill the remaining term of former GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson and must face voters again for a full term next year.

Walker's fundraising haul represents the strongest start for any GOP Senate candidate running against Warnock in the 2022 cycle thus far.

"Though we only had 5 weeks to fundraise this quarter, tens of thousands of Georgians and patriots across the country stepped up to the plate to help us take back the United States Senate," Walker said in a statement. "We are grateful for each and every cent and look forward to continuing to travel across this great state shaking hands with real Georgians and hearing about the issues facing their communities."

The other Republicans currently in the race include state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and two military veterans - Latham Saddler and Kelvin King. They have not yet announced their most recent fundraising totals.

However, Saddler was the previous leader in July, having raised roughly $1.4 million in three months. Black raised about $700,000, while King collected around $370,000.

Warnock has not yet released his most recent fundraising figures, but reported more than $10.5 million cash on hand in July.

Walker, a first-time candidate who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, was seen as a leading candidate even before he entered the race, despite some pushback in some conservative circles.

According to a Politico report in July, Senate Minority Mitch McConnell of Kentucky reportedly saw Walker's "complicated" personal history as "a vulnerability" in regaining control of the Senate, with the publication referencing an Associated Press report that detailed threats that the former football standout allegedly made to his ex-wife, along with questions surrounding his business dealings.

However, McConnell recently had warm words for Walker's candidacy.

"There are some things written that indicate he's had some challenges in his life. On the other hand, the good news is, he's made several impressive performances on national television. His whole team is the same team around [former Sen.] Johnny Isakson," McConnell told Politico last month. "He's called me; we had a good conversation. I think there's every indication he's going to be a good candidate."