https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...race-kemp-leads-abrams-for-governor-poll/amp/ The poll from Easter Carolina University’s Center for Survey Research found Warnock and Walker tied at 46 percent, while only 6 percent of voters remain undecided. Among Black voters, Warnock has a significant edge. Eighty-three percent said they support the Democratic incumbent, compared to only 7 percent who are backing Walker. When it comes to white voters, however, Walker has the advantage. Sixty-five percent support him, while 29 percent support Warnock
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/06/drip-of-allegations-could-sink-herschel-walker-campaign.html Former college and pro football star, longtime Trump buddy, and Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker has always had a heroic image in Georgia, the state he returned to last year before launching his first run for office. After he led the University of Georgia Bulldogs to a national championship in 1981 as a freshman prodigy, he was often depicted in Superman garb. When, in 1982, he paused during an early-morning run to extract a motorist from a wrecked car, no one was surprised. His stoic and unassuming demeanor disarmed white racists without embarrassing Black fans. And his general conservatism (he often spoke of wanting a career in law enforcement after his playing days ended) came across as authentic. Fans were shocked when Walker published a memoir in 2008 disclosing that he had suffered for many years from a serious mental illness (dissociative identity disorder, sometimes called “multiple personalities”), which, according to his own account, led him to disturbing conduct such as once holding a loaded gun to his wife’s head. But he claimed to have fully recovered via therapy and strong religious faith. When talk first circulated of Trump trying to convince the man who is nearly universally known in Georgia simply as “Herschel” to come home and run for the Senate, it wasn’t hard for journalists to dig up more evidence of Walker’s troubled past, as the AP did last July: An Associated Press review of hundreds of pages of public records tied to Walker’s business ventures and his divorce, including many not previously reported, sheds new light on a turbulent personal history that could dog his Senate bid. The documents detail accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior. When Walker moved back to Georgia and announced a Senate campaign, several Republican candidates already in the field weren’t shy about bringing up his questionable background. In particular, state agriculture commissioner Gary Black warned repeatedly that Walker’s history of violent behavior toward women was “disqualifying” and that highly regarded Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock would beat him in November. Campaigning like the star he is, Walker dodged debates and interviews that might involve tough questions and won his May 24 primary handily without a runoff, giving Trump a signature win on a very bad primary night in Georgia. As the general election approaches, Warnock and his Democratic allies will have the resources to shine an extremely bright light on the more hidden places in Walker’s life. And the embarrassing revelations just keep coming. Earlier this week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Walker was simply making up a law-enforcement background that he bragged about regularly. And now the Daily Beast has reported a more significant new problem with Walker’s background: For years, former football star turned Republican senatorial candidate Herschel Walker has expressed an enormous pride and love for his adult son, while taking a principled stand against fatherless households and deadbeat dads—specifically in the Black community … What Walker hasn’t publicly acknowledged is that he has a second son, who has apparently been estranged from his biological father since his birth a decade ago. The son, whose name The Daily Beast is withholding out of privacy concerns, has grown up more than 1,500 miles from Walker’s Texas home. And the mother, whose name we are also withholding for privacy reasons, had to take Walker to court a year after giving birth in order to secure a declaration of paternity and child support. Walker’s campaign quickly acknowledged that the candidate has a second son and claimed rather unconvincingly that he hasn’t tried to hide him. But at this point, on the cusp of what is likely to be a bitter general-election year in Georgia, you have to wonder if the sheer number of disturbing revelations about Walker’s background will act as a corrosive drip, drip, drip, undermining the image of strong character he has enjoyed until very recently. No single allegation about the would-be senator might matter that much, but together they could be a problem for him, particularly if he remains vague and guarded on policy issues and other more impersonal reasons Georgians might vote for him. The trouble is, when Walker does speak out, it doesn’t always go so well for him. In March, he drew some raised eyebrows for remarks that sought to rebut the theory of evolution with the question: “Why are there still apes?” And more recently, his incoherent response to the Uvalde gun massacre got a lot more attention: Walker probably won’t be able to dodge the media and his Democratic opponent as we get closer to November. And in Warnock, the often tongue-tied Republican will be facing a debate foe who has put together and delivered Sunday sermons for many years. The incumbent can’t afford to become too sanctimonious about Walker’s misconduct; Warnock went through a messy and contentious divorce not long before he was elected to the Senate, and his ex-wife has subsequently accused him of violating a custody agreement. But if there’s more dirt out there on Walker, it will almost certainly come to light before Election Day. And even “Herschel” has only so much moral capital to spend. He, and Republicans generally, may yet regret his decision to give up a relatively quiet life in Texas and enter the political snake pit.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/herschel-walker-says-hes-a-model-dad-he-has-a-secret-son For years, former football star turned Republican senatorial candidate Herschel Walker has expressed an enormous pride and love for his adult son, while taking a principled stand against fatherless households and deadbeat dads—specifically in the Black community. “And I want to apologize to the African-American community, because the fatherless home is a major, major problem,” Walker said in a September 2020 interview, adding that he had been “like a father to some of those kids that had never had fathers.” The month before, Walker—who co-parented his 22-year-old son, Christian with both his ex-wife and current wife—told right-wing internet personalities Diamond and Silk that if you have “a child with a woman, even if you have to leave that woman… you don’t leave the child.” What Walker hasn’t publicly acknowledged is that he has a second son, who has apparently been estranged from his biological father since his birth a decade ago. The son, whose name The Daily Beast is withholding out of privacy concerns, has grown up more than 1,500 miles from Walker’s Texas home. And the mother, whose name we are also withholding for privacy reasons, had to take Walker to court a year after giving birth in order to secure a declaration of paternity and child support. The Daily Beast confirmed these events through public posts, a court document where Walker is declared to be the child’s father, and a person close to the boy’s family with direct knowledge of the events. That person told The Daily Beast that while Walker sends Christmas and birthday presents, he otherwise has not played an active parental role in raising his second son. The child also has not met or spoken with his half-brother, Christian, the person said. Walker’s campaign manager, Scott Paradise, told The Daily Beast in a statement that Walker—who will try to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in the fall—is “proud of his children.” “Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn’t married. He’s supported the child and continues to do so. He’s proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is ‘hiding’ the child because he hasn’t used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd,” Paradise said. The statement continued, “Raphael Warnock is currently engaged in both a nasty mudslinging campaign and a nasty custody dispute with his ex-wife. He is trying to hide it from voters by sealing the case and even tried to hide from authorities. This is a complete double standard.” Paradise did not provide evidence to support the claim that Warnock “tried to hide from authorities.” Meredith Brasher, Warnock’s communications director, called the senator a “devoted” father and co-parent. “Reverend Warnock is a devoted father who is proud to continue to co-parent his two children as he works for the people of Georgia,” Brasher told The Daily Beast. Walker’s paternity suit dragged on for more than a year after his sworn admission, according to the declaration and a court official’s review of the case to The Daily Beast. When the court issued its final child support order in Aug. 2014, the boy was more than 2 years old. The child took the last name of Walker. According to a public document about the suit, Walker and the mother of his second son struck up a relationship on Nov. 1, 2008, lasting through Sept. 16, 2011, about nine months before the son was born. It’s unclear why the relationship ended. Around that time, Walker appears to have been romantically involved with at least three women. In 2010, Walker told talk radio host Howard Stern that he’d only slept with two women, the second of whom was his current, unnamed girlfriend. Two of those three women have accused Walker of violent behavior, including death threats against them. Walker has denied the claims. One of the women was Blanchard, who in February 2012 identified herself as Walker’s fiance. The next month, January 2012, a third woman, Myka Dean, also claimed to be in an “on-and-off” relationship with Walker lasting around two decades. Dean made that claim in a police report filed in Irving, Texas, in which she alleged that Walker had threatened to “blow her head off” and then take his own life, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Dean died in 2019. Walker’s first wife, Cindy Grossman, has also accused the football-star-turned-Senate-candidate of being “physically abusive.” She also claimed Walker once threatened to “blow” her “brains out.” In 2005, Grossman secured a protective order against Walker over the threat allegations. The judge even temporarily revoked Walker’s right to carry a gun, the Associated Press reported. till, Walker, Grossman, and Blanchard all helped raise Christian Walker, the former Pro-Bowler’s son with Grossman. Walker, who in a December 2019 interview said his greatest accomplishment was being a good father, has pointed to his parenting as a model for other unconventional families. Asked in the Diamond and Silk interview, “What about teaching our Black men that if you lay down with a woman and you make a baby, it is your responsibility to stay there and make sure that child is raised?” Walker replied, “Homeboy know dad is in his life”—referencing Christian Walker, now 22 years old. He went on to paint a picture of his ex-wife and her husband, his current wife, and son seated around a restaurant table. “And people look at us like, ‘They’re crazy.’ And I said, no, we get along because it ain’t about us no more,” Walker said. Walker has emphasized a team approach to parenting, calling on community members to come to the aid of kids with absent fathers. “We’ve got a lot of NFL players. We have a lot of NBA players. And they want to help. They’ve given millions of dollars to Black Lives Matter. Let’s not do that,” he said to Diamond and Silk. “I say what we need to do is let’s go in all the neighborhood [sic] and let’s become fathers of those fatherless child [sic]. Meaning let’s try to direct them in the right way,” he said. At the same time, Walker has taken a hardline anti-abortion stance, calling last month for a total ban with “no exceptions.” Walker’s opponent, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), is currently involved in a child custody dispute of his own with his ex-wife. She is “seeking changes to their child custody arrangement.” She has asked a Georgia family court to adjust child support payments commensurate with Warnock’s increased personal income after joining the Senate. Political opponents, including the Republican National Committee, have fashioned the suit into a line of attack. In April, an RNC spokesperson accused Warnock of “ignoring the financial needs of his own children,” despite the fact that Warnock does not stand accused of ducking child support. But in light of the revelation about his second son and paternity suit, Walker’s musings about a close-knit family life appears rife with hypocrisy. For instance, in an informal 2017 speech, Walker reflected fondly on his relationship with his son Christian, advising his audience, “if you got a child, hug your child every day.” “I have a 17-year-old, Christian. I love that dude. I love him to death,” Walker said. He added, “He’s 17, he’s trying to pull away. I tell him, ‘Hey, dude, until you’re big enough to throw me off, boy I’m going to kiss you and hug you.’” And in a Presidential Fitness panel appearance one year later, Walker said that while parental involvement is “very, very important,” so was “adults getting involved with kids, because some kid [sic] do not have a parent, a mother or a father.” “So I don’t think I want to leave that kid behind. I want to be involved with him as well,” he said.