Walker’s troubles have been underscored by recent polls that show him trailing Warnock. One survey from Quinnipiac University released last month found the incumbent Democrat leading by a staggering 10-point margin, while a more recent poll conducted for the AARP put Warnock ahead by 3 points.

“He needs help. He needs to be much better prepared because when Labor Day rolls around, he’s going to have to be able to articulate and do it consistently and do it coherently,” said Chuck Clay, a former Georgia state senator and state GOP chair. “He’s got himself two or three months. He’s a smart guy. But he needs focus. He needs to get that part of the campaign down. A Heisman Trophy isn’t going to bring him a victory.”…

Warnock’s campaign, meanwhile, has sought to hammer Walker as dishonest, with one recent ad highlighting the former football player’s past claim that he graduated near the top of his class at the University of Georgia despite leaving for a professional football career before finishing school.

“Say what you want about Raphael Warnock, but the guy has a kind of gravitas that people pick up on,” one Georgia Republican strategist said. “I still think he’s vulnerable. I think you need to do everything you can to make him answer for Biden. But you can’t pretend that he’s a bad candidate.”