Opinion: The three phone calls Herschel Walker needs to make

Editor’s Note: Geoff Duncan, a Republican, is the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. He is the author of “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America’s Conservative Party.” The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion articles on CNN.

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In the aftermath of the Republican Party’s disappointing midterm election results, many people have asked if I feel vindicated. After all, since the debacle of the 2020 election and the ensuing Senate runoffs in my home state of Georgia, I have been outspoken in my belief that the continued presence of former President Donald Trump is an inhibitor to our party’s success.

Heck, I even wrote a book about it more than a year ago predicting this outcome. But I take no pleasure in being correct. I am a tried-and-true conservative. I believe that America is headed in the wrong direction, fueled by the hangover of the Trump years and the policies of President Joe Biden and his congressional enablers.

And I’m not alone in my dissatisfaction. According to CNN exit polls, more than 7 in 10 said they are “dissatisfied” or “angry” with the direction of the country for one reason or another.

Yet, as of this writing, control of the House of Representatives hangs in the balance. A narrow GOP majority remains the expected outcome, nowhere near the anticipated red wave. And after Republican losses in Nevada and Arizona, the Senate will remain in Democratic control.

A high-stakes December runoff election between incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia still looms large. Along with mashed potatoes and stuffing, my fellow Georgians are in for a heavy dose of television commercials on their Thanksgiving tables. The race will be hard-fought, with each party eager to end the cycle with a win and to preserve (or narrow) the current make-up of the Senate.

For Walker to salvage a victory, there are three immediate phone calls he should make.

First, dial Mar-a-Lago and ask Trump to stay home.

Yes, they are longtime buddies dating back to the United States Football League (USFL). In fact, the now defunct league is where the two first met in the 1980s – Trump as the owner of the…