Herschel Walker says he's a 'country boy' and 'not that smart' ahead of debate against Raphael Warnock: 'I will do my best'

• Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker called himself a "country boy" who's "not that smart."
• Walker predicted that Sen. Raphael Warnock is going to "embarrass" him in their debate next month.

Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker seems to be anticipating a poor debate performance against his Democratic opponent Sen. Raphael Warnock next month.

Walker, a political newcomer and former NFL player, called himself "a country boy" who's "not that smart" in a Friday interview with the Savannah Morning News.

Warnock is "a preacher" who "is smart and wears these nice suits," Walker continued, predicting that his rival "is going to show up and embarrass him."

The two are expected to face off on the debate stage on October 14 in Savannah, Georgia. The debate was scheduled after a lengthy disagreement between the candidates' campaigns over its terms.

"I'm just waiting to show up and I will do my best," Walker told the local news outlet.

Walker refused to participate in Georgia's Republican primary debate but handily won the party's nomination with 68% of the vote on May 24. The 60-year-old Senate hopeful has received former President Donald Trump's coveted endorsement to unseat Warnock, who's seeking a six-year term after he won a special runoff election last year against former Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

Walker played football in high school and went on to become a star running back for the University of Georgia football team. His campaign has frequently mischaracterized his academic credentials, CNN reported in April, claiming that he'd graduated as class valedictorian in high school, though CNN found no record of it. Walker also repeatedly claimed he finished at the top of his class in college, but later admitted that he did not graduate.

Walker has been mired in controversies throughout his candidacy, from falsely claiming he had been a law enforcement official to revealing he has three more children than he previously publicly disclosed.

The Republican Accountability Project, a political action committee run by anti-Trump conservatives, recently dropped an ad featuring Walker's ex-wife, alleging that he threatened to kill her.

Walker has also drawn criticism for his recent comments attacking President Joe Biden's massive health-and-climate spending package, saying: "Don't we have enough trees around here?"

A new Quinnipiac University poll released last Wednesday showed Walker trailing Warnock by six percentage points.