Mitch McConnell threatens to go against Trump and 'pick his OWN candidates to run in the 2022 Georgia Senate race' over his fears Herschel Walker 'could doom GOP chances'

Mitch McConnell is reportedly deeply concerned about a Georgia Senate bid from football star and longtime Trump pal Herschel Walker, fearing Walker's potential campaign would fizzle and hand the seat over to Democrats for six years.

The Senate minority leader has stepped in to help Republicans find a suitable candidate for the 2022 election, when Senator Raphael Warnock will have to fend off challengers in what's expected to be a heated race for his first full six-year term. 

Warnock took office in 2021 after narrowly beating Republican Kelly Loeffler in a special election runoff.  

McConnell is said to be considering Loeffler along with David Perdue, per CNN. The former Georgia Republican senator lost his seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff - who won't have to defend himself until 2026 if he chooses to run again.

McConnell has been reportedly scouring the field for potential Georgia Senate candidates as Walker, a longtime Trump ally, reportedly worries some Republicans with his lack of a political operation and troubling allegations of abuse

Republicans are lining up to challenge Senator Raphael Warnock , who won his seat in a special election and will be vulnerable again in 2022. Senator Jon Ossoff who beat incumbent David Perdue, won't have to defend his seat until 2026 if he chooses to

Walker has not said for certain whether he'd run, but he fueled suspicions with a Twitter video in June with the cryptic caption 'Georgia on my mind.'

'I'm getting ready. And we can run with the big dogs,' Walker says in the video standing next to his car, apparently referencing the Georgia Bulldogs, the college football team he famously played for in the 1980s.

His car also has a Georgia license plate, though the ex-NFL player lives in Texas.

Trump has been enthusiastic about a potential Herschel Walker Senate bid (pictured at a Trump campaign event in September 2020)

Donald Trump himself has publicly pushed for Walker to get into politics - specifically in 2022.

'He told me he's going to, and I think he will,' Trump said of Walker's rumored Senate bid on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show. 

Trump called Walker a 'great guy' and a 'patriot,' adding 'He's a very loyal person. They love him in Georgia, I'll tell you.'

In March the ex-president released an enthusiastically supportive statement.

'Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia? He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL. He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!' he wrote. 

Walker fueled suspicions with a cryptic video where he said 'I'm getting ready' - but made no mention of the Senate race or politics in general

Trump released a statement pushing Walker to run for office and said in June the NFL star is considering it

But a damning report from late July details accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife and that his unpredictable behavior concerned business associates.  

Walker, unable to accept his former wife was dating someone else, also told family members he would kill her and her new boyfriend, the Associated Press reports. 

McConnell is reportedly meeting with a former Trump official, Latham Saddler, about his confirmed Senate bid in an effort to find alternate candidates, a source told CNN.

Establishment Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas said to the outlet of Walker, 'I want the best nominee' but 'I don't know whether' he is the one. 

But earlier in the year Lindsey Graham, also a Trump ally, said 'It's be great to have somebody of his stature running as a conservative.' 

Walker has held talks with political consultants in Georgia, but seems to lack a formal political operation behind him - and already lacks the experience. 

Georgia Republican Rep. Buddy Carter is confident in a Walker victory, calling him a 'strong person' and declared 'I know he's going to win.' 

McConnell reportedly wants former Georgia Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue to run

Latham Saddler, a former Trump White House official and Navy veteran, has already launched his Senate campaign and reportedly spoke with McConnell

In addition to Saddler, Georgia agricultural commissioner Gary Black and business owner Kelvin King have also thrown themselves into the Republican primary race.

A source close to Loeffler reportedly told CNN she would consider running again.

Perdue, however, stepped back from a potential run in February. He hasn't sent any strong indication he was inclined either way since, even at a GOP donor dinner in Washington. 

But despite Republicans' broad search, Trump's support of Walker seems unwavering. 

Walker played for Trump's now-defunct NFL team New Jersey Generals and remained a close family friend, even appearing on 'The Celebrity Apprentice.'

Trump and Walker's relationship goes back to the 1980s when Walker played for Trump's short-lived NFL team the New Jersey Generals (pictured March 1984)

He also supported Trump's 2016 and 2020 White House bids. Walker has also previously gotten behind Trump's effort to overturn his election loss.

McConnell on the other hand is a frequent punching bag for Trump, and their feud over Georgia extends beyond the senator's alleged attempts to subvert a potential Walker campaign. 

Trump blamed McConnell for not fighting harder for his victory and not joining attempts to subvert the election. He also attacked McConnell for Republicans losing the Senate majority in Georgia in early 2021.

'He never fought for the White House and blew it for the Country,' Trump said in a statement in late June. 'Too bad I backed him in Kentucky, he would have been primaried and lost!'