Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker just scored a major endorsement. On Monday, Senate Minority Whip John Thune officially endorsed Walker’s campaign to unseat Democrat Raphael Warnock.

The Hill reports:

“I am proud to endorse Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia,” said Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican leader. “Herschel Walker is a fighter, a uniter, and a proven winner with the ability to bring Republicans together to win in November.”

Thune is the fifth Republican senator to throw his support behind Walker and the first member of Senate GOP leadership to do so. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Steve Daines (Mont.), Roger Marshall (Kans.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) have already endorsed Walker in the race to unseat Warnock.

Republican leaders in Washington were at first wary of the former NFL star’s Senate bid, given his lack of political experience and revelations of a turbulent past. But those concerns have largely subsided, and party leaders now see Walker as their best bet to defeat Warnock next year.

The Georgia Senate race is among the most closely watched contests of the 2022 midterm cycle. Warnock flipped the seat previously held by former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) in a runoff election earlier this year, just two months after President Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate in nearly 30 years to win the state.

Herschel Walker officially announced his Senate campaign in August after months of hinting and previously scoring former President Trump’s endorsement.