Herschel Walker

2022 - 12 - 7

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Who is Herschel Walker? (The Washington Post)

Herschel Walker, a football legend in Georgia, was drafted to run for the U.S. Senate by former president Donald Trump. He easily won the Republican ...

[Republican Party red wave seems to be a ripple](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/10/republicans-midterm-elections-trump/?itid=lb_the-2022-midterm-elections_7) after Republicans fell short in the Senate and narrowly won control in the House. Get [live updates here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/06/georgia-runoff-live-updates/?itid=lb_the-2022-midterm-elections_2) and a look at [Warnock and Walker’s paths to victory.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/05/herschel-walker-vs-raphael-warnock-georgia-runoff/?itid=lb_the-2022-midterm-elections_3) Donald Trump [announced his 2024 presidential campaign](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/15/trump-2024-announcement-running-president/?itid=lb_the-2022-midterm-elections_8) shortly after the midterms. 6 runoff](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/09/georgia-runoff-election-explained-rules/?itid=cb_box_SSSRER4355COPCWNEM4CUCQKV4_2)— here’s [how it will work](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/09/georgia-runoff-election-explained-rules/?itid=cb_box_SSSRER4355COPCWNEM4CUCQKV4_3). [runoff](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/09/georgia-runoff-election-explained-rules/?itid=lb_the-2022-midterm-elections_1) between Sen. Donald Trump [announced his 2024 presidential campaign](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/15/trump-2024-announcement-running-president/?itid=cb_box_SSSRER4355COPCWNEM4CUCQKV4_7)on Tuesday, ignoring the advice of longtime allies who [encouraged him to delay the announcement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/09/trump-presidential-announcement-delay/?itid=cb_box_SSSRER4355COPCWNEM4CUCQKV4_8). [won back control of the House](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/16/republicans-win-house-majority/?itid=cb_box_SSSRER4355COPCWNEM4CUCQKV4_4), creating a [split Congress](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/17/divided-government-senate-house-control/?itid=cb_box_SSSRER4355COPCWNEM4CUCQKV4_5)and dealing a blow to President Biden and his agenda. “The logical side of me knew that what I was thinking of doing to this man — murdering him for messing up my schedule — wasn’t a viable alternative,” Walker wrote about someone who was supposed to deliver a car he had ordered but instead was ducking his calls. During retirement, Walker launched Renaissance Man Food Services, which he claimed was one of the largest minority-owned meat processors in the nation. He played in the NFL from 1986 to 1997, before retiring from the Dallas Cowboys. Still, he got enough support from Republican voters to force a runoff with Warnock, after neither got a majority of the vote, as required by state law. He easily won the Republican nomination last spring, but during the general election, he has endured a tumultuous campaign filled with verbal gaffes and personal scandals in his first foray into politics, as he tries to unseat Democratic Sen.

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeats Republican Herschel ... (NPR)

After a long campaign cycle that stretched into December with a runoff election, Georgia elected Sen. Raphael Warnock to a full term.

and on the trail often channeled his hero's emphasis on the overlap between activism and faith. Especially in the final weeks of the campaign, Warnock explicitly appealed to independents and Republican-leaning voters [new era](https://www.npr.org/2022/09/12/1122118393/georgia-abrams-warnock-rural-black-voters-elections-democrats-midterms) in the state's politics. Walker, who Trump urged to run, was the [only](https://www.npr.org/2022/11/19/1137552158/the-path-looks-uncertain-for-democrats-after-losing-the-georgia-governorship-aga) Georgia Republican not to win outright in November. Across town, Walker snapped photos with fans tailgating outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, where his University of Georgia Bulldogs secured the SEC championship title. At campaign stops, supporters line up carrying hats, jerseys and footballs for the former football star to autograph. Multiple days broke records for daily, in-person voting, reflecting both enthusiasm and a Republican-backed election law that condensed the runoff window from nine weeks to four. "This is not about right and left," Warnock told voters before a rally with former President Barack Obama last week in Atlanta. The gap was most pronounced in Atlanta's northern suburbs, once Republican strongholds that have trended toward Democrats in recent years. He was also prone to gaffes and false claims, exaggerating his record in academics and business and displaying a loose grasp of policy. Raphael Warnock has won a full term in the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican football legend Herschel Walker in a campaign that tested Georgia's position as a purple state and spurred debates about race, celebrity and partisan politics.

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Image courtesy of "CNBC"

Raphael Warnock beats Trump pick Herschel Walker in Georgia ... (CNBC)

Warnock's projected win over Walker marks a major loss for former President Donald Trump and could have a major impact on President Joe Biden's agenda.

The Senate bid has also raised questions about Walker's mental health, and [accusations by Walker's ex-wife](https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-sports-nfl-college-football-coronavirus-pandemic-5e2875eec11e93f9a3bf1fc859137ff8), Cindy Grossman, resurfaced that he had been abusive and threatening toward her. With a 51-49 majority, Democrats will gain majorities on key Senate committees, which could make it easier for them to confirm nominees. [paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion years earlier](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/04/georgia-senate-election-donald-trump-defends-herschel-walker-after-abortion-report.html). It could also lessen the outsize influence wielded by a few moderate Democrats, especially Sens. The race went to a runoff after neither Warnock nor Walker won more than 50% of the vote in the Nov. [Donald Trump](https://www.cnbc.com/donald-trump/), who had championed Walker and campaigned for him. Less than two weeks before the midterms, [a second woman came forward](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/26/herschel-walker-woman-makes-new-abortion-claim.html) to claim Walker had pushed her to get an abortion. "The Truth: Trump called my dad for months DEMANDING that he run," Christian tweeted Tuesday night. While Warnock got more votes than Walker, third-party candidate Chase Oliver, a Libertarian, secured just over 2% of the vote, keeping either of the two main contenders from clinching a majority, according to NBC News' count. "Everyone with a brain begged him: 'PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. "I'm not going to make any excuses because we put up one heck of a fight," Walker said. Walker gave what was essentially a concession speech to a crowd at his election watch party around 11 p.m.

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Image courtesy of "The Atlantic"

Herschel Walker Is the New Normal (The Atlantic)

Win or lose, all the criticisms of Herschel Walker obscure a larger point: The Republicans have acclimated the American public to ghastly behavior from ...

[posted a thread](https://twitter.com/TSting18/status/1589221942124744705) of 50 great films from the 1980s. (Years later, in [Joker](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/robert-de-niro-connection-between-joker-and-the-king-of-comedy/), De Niro would himself play a TV host who is stalked by a fame seeker, but The King of Comedy doesn’t need Joker’s gore to make us cringe.) Then try [Outland](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082869/), which is basically High Noon set in space. [The King of Comedy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085794/), in which Robert De Niro plays a fame-obsessed nerd whose only goal is to be on a talk show. And I was particularly glad to see the inclusion of [Streets of Fire](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088194/), a sort of live-action graphic novel from the director of The Warriors that billed itself as “a rock & roll fable” about a hero saving his girl from a gang of bikers. When investigators finally found the corpse of the 175-pound male, nicknamed Pablo Eskobear, all that was left were “bones and a big hide” and three to four grams of cocaine in his bloodstream—an unseemly end for an otherwise honorable creature that was merely trawling his neighborhood for a snack (as bears do!). [crazy, unelectable candidates](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/to-defeat-trump-stop-calling-him-a-loser/2022/11/26/712e5c96-6d93-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html).” Perhaps from there, the GOP can start fusing electability back to character, but that process will take a while. [Play our daily crossword.](https://www.theatlantic.com/free-daily-crossword-puzzle/) The only thing worse than making a mistake is admitting it was a mistake, and facing the humiliation of being a sucker. And, as my friend [Jill Lawrence](https://www.thebulwark.com/hypocrisy-thy-name-is-gop/) pointed out today, supporting an [allegedly abusive](https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/feature/senate-runoff-nears-herschel-walkers-ex-girlfriend-details-abuse-rcna60050) rake like Walker makes a mockery of Republicans who once extolled virtue and character as the most important qualities in a public servant. Are you really going to let the commies and immigrants from the [“shithole countries”](https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-fdda2ff0b877416c8ae1c1a77a3cc425) take over? Trump ran, and still runs, as something of a dare, a challenge to see if we’re just a bunch of delicate scolds who get the vapors over things like Win or lose, all the criticisms of Herschel Walker obscure a larger point: The Republicans have acclimated the American public to ghastly behavior from elected officials and candidates for high office.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

The tragedy of Herschel Walker (The Washington Post)

Herschel Walker could be basking in his former athletic glory, but he came into the orbit of that serial destroyer of other people's reputations, ...

Did uncontested races cost the Democrats the House popular vote?December 5, 2022 Did uncontested races cost the Democrats the House popular vote?December 5, 2022Opinion Republicans, you can do better than Herschel Walker.

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Image courtesy of "Slate Magazine"

A Look Back at Herschel Walker's Scandal-Ridden Senate Campaign (Slate Magazine)

May 24, 2022: Walker wins the Republican primary by more than 50 points, earning the right to run against Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock in fall. May 26, ...

(This does not in and of itself disqualify him from serving.) Democrats net a seat in the Senate. 6, 2022: Walker loses the run-off to Warnock. (He denies it, but the evidence that he did so is substantial.) Oz” Oz loses an open seat in Pennsylvania to Democrat John Fetterman. (He denies it.) 8, 2022: On election night, Walker and Warnock advance to a runoff when neither receives 50 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, another Trump-endorsed GOP Senate candidate about whom Mitch McConnell had concerns, Blake Masters, runs behind other Republicans in Arizona and loses his race against Sen. Trump-endorsed Pennsylvania candidate Mehmet “Dr. Warnock comes closer, winning 49.4 of ballots cast to Walker’s 48.5. (According to Morning Consult, Joe Biden’s approval rating in Georgia in the months before voting was roughly On the other hand, the good news is, he’s made several impressive performances on national television.”

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Image courtesy of "Rolling Stone"

Herschel Walker's Campaign Greatest Hits: Werewolves, Secret ... (Rolling Stone)

Walker's ignorance is part of the point for Republicans. “Herschel Walker was not nominated to govern,” George Chidi wrote for Rolling Stone last month. “He was ...

[turned on his father](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/christian-walker-unloads-herschel-walker-abortion-payment-report-1234604806/) after it was revealed that he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion. He admitted to having [more secret children](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-admits-another-son-1369257/) a few weeks later. [has a secret son he doesn’t see](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-secret-son-report-1368573/). The Daily Beast reported a few weeks after that that [he’d been lying to his campaign](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-secret-children-1379098/) about his offspring. She told The Daily Beast that Walker “cannot” be a senator. The Daily Beast reported last month that Walker also [lied about owning the nation’s largest upholstery business](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-business-record-1336941/). CNN points to stories from the time about Walker saying he maintained a B average at UGA, and that he had a 3.0 GPA before his grades began to suffer. The woman [had a child with Walker](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-abortion-payment-mother-of-his-child-1234606268/), as well. [pressured her into getting another abortion](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-asked-ex-to-have-second-abortion-1234607559/) in 2011. The company listed just eight employees when it applied for a Covid loan in 2020, and Walker admitted in a court case that the company brings in less than $2 million a year. “Do you know right now, I have something that [you can bring] into a building, that will clean you of Covid, as you walk through this dry mist?” he told Glenn Beck in the summer of 2020. He seemed perplexed about the theory of evolution during an appearance at a church in March.

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Image courtesy of "Vanity Fair"

Democrat Raphael Warnock Wins Georgia Senate Runoff Against ... (Vanity Fair)

The Democratic Senator and pastor beat out the Trump-backed former football star, allowing Democrats to add to their slim majority in the Senate.

He has also [admitted](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/herschel-walker-domestic-violence-therapy-b1975964.html) to a history of domestic violence, appears to have attempted to keep several of his children a secret from the public ( [and even his own campaign](https://www.thedailybeast.com/herschel-walker-lied-about-his-secret-kids-to-his-own-campaign)), and, while campaigning in Georgia, claimed a [tax credit in Texas for people who primarily live there](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/11/herschel-walker-tax-benefits-texas). Warnock’s ad spend represented just a fraction of his total war chest, which [topped](https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/runoff-watch-warnock-doubles-walkers-fundraising-haul-rcna58925) $50 million between October 20 to November 16, as compared to Walker’s $20.9 million over that same period. [slight edge](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/02/politics/cnn-poll-georgia-senate-runoff-election/index.html) in the numbers. His own campaign staff anonymously told the Daily Beast [that Walker is a “pathological liar](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/07/herschel-walker-secret-children-pathological-liar-georgia-senate).” He's [lied](https://www.newsweek.com/herschel-walker-fbi-agent-police-false-claim-lie-1715498) about multiple parts of his resume, including his education record, falsely claiming to have been an FBI agent and a police officer, and owning [businesses that don’t exist](https://www.thedailybeast.com/herschel-walker-claims-to-own-companies-that-dont-exist). Leading up to the rematch, the Washington Post reported that Georgia saw a record-breaking wave of [early voting](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/26/georgia-senate-runoff-saturday-voting/). [outlandish rhetoric](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/11/herschel-walkeer-vampires-werewolves). Over 1.85 million residents had [voted](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/georgia-senate-runoff-smashes-early-voting-records-attracts-new-voters-rcna59981) early as of Monday. Walker's loss is the bitter culmination of a campaign that has been dogged by scandal—most notably allegations from was a member, Warnock was first elected in a 2021 runoff to serve out the remainder of Johnny Isakson's term, making Tuesday his fourth Senate election in just two years. Still, Warnock's victory is a sign that Democrats have made tremendous electoral gains in Georgia, a state that voted for Biden two years ago but reelected its Republican governor, Brian Kemp, in November. Democrats had already secured control of the Senate leading into Tuesday's runoff, but Warnock’s win gives them a slightly stronger edge as the party will be forced to reckon with a Republican House majority. Still, Warnock proved to have a

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Image courtesy of "BuzzFeed News"

Raphael Warnock Has Defeated Herschel Walker In The Georgia ... (BuzzFeed News)

The Senate race in Georgia went to a runoff after neither candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the November midterm election.

[she too had had an abortion at his urging](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/herschel-walker-abortion-second-woman) when they were in a relationship in the 1990s. [worried some Republican allies](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/us/politics/georgia-senate-herschel-walker-raphael-warnock.html), with the candidate choosing to take five days off for Thanksgiving despite the close race and [Warnock’s serious fundraising advantage](https://www.ajc.com/politics/warnock-more-than-doubles-walker-fundraising-in-pre-runoff-period/YQJQWOJFKBBO5NZU2HCID2XFLU/). Lee](https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/09/us/georgia-confederate-memorial-holiday-feat). [critic of fatherless Black homes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpUmpj4oyjI&t=1670s), had a second son whom he had not publicly acknowledged and whose mother had sued the candidate for child support. [record-breaking turnout](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/29/georgia-senate-runoff-heats-up-in-early-voting-after-record-breaking-day.html) among early voters in the state. [President Joe Biden’s win](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/georgia-vote-results-biden-win) in 2020. He decided to give us the middle finger and air out all of his dirty laundry in public while simultaneously lying about it," Christian tweeted. “I want control of the Senate.” But despite both being Republicans, Kemp and Walker were not exactly peas in a pod. The 2021 election made Warnock the first Black senator elected to represent Georgia, and now, he's the first to do so for a full term. With more than 3.9 million ballots cast, less than 40,000 votes separated the pair in November. When the ballots were counted,

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Herschel Walker's defeat delivers another blow to Trump and his ... (CNN)

Donald Trump was hoping for a win on Tuesday amid the slow start to his latest presidential campaign, believing a victory for his longtime friend and ...

Still, the two men continued to speak by phone regularly in the lead up to the November midterms – and his ultimate defeat on Tuesday. He then drew a fresh round of criticism this week after calling for the “termination” of the US Constitution in a Truth Social post over the weekend to allow him to be reinstated as president. Trump’s physical avoidance of Georgia also raised questions about his ability to appeal to crucial swing state voters, who will likely hold the key to another term in Washington if he emerges on the other side of the 2024 GOP primary as the party’s nominee. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger refused to help Trump overturn Biden’s victory in the state, Trump waged an effort to exact political retribution, endorsing unsuccessful primary challenges against the two men. And move on from candidates who are objectively not good fits,” Erickson wrote in a Wednesday morning column, suggesting that Walker, a candidate besieged by domestic abuse allegations and claims that he paid for multiple abortions, didn’t lose solely because of Trump and but likely wouldn’t have entered the Senate race last summer had the former president not encouraged him to. “Donald’s got his problems right now and they are so numerous that I don’t think he can win and I want to back a winner,” this person said. But some aren’t sure he still wields the same power that he did even just months ago, before the November midterms, when GOP lawmakers and candidates were flocking to his Mar-a-Lago club for meetings and fundraisers and polls showed him drawing steady support among Republican voters. After not visiting Georgia ahead of the November midterm elections, Trump continued to keep his distance before the runoffs. He then goes and attacks two of the most popular Republican governors, the governor of Virginia and Florida, and now he talks about terminating the Constitution. “Trump backed the wrong candidates and lost virtually all of them in the Senate in 2022. 2024 is key to winning the future again. “Conservatives across the country are tired of losing.

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Image courtesy of "Business Insider"

Herschel Walker's son says dad wasn't a 'quality' candidate (Business Insider)

Christian Walker spoke with Buzzfeed hours after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated his father in Georgia's Senate runoff election on Tuesday.

I did nothing." Herschel Walker's campaign attempted to fend off mounting controversy in recent months, including allegations that [he paid for two women to have abortions](https://www.businessinsider.com/2nd-woman-herschel-walker-forced-to-have-abortion-caused-damage-2022-11?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=yahoo.com) despite his stringent stance against abortion access. How dare you," he Literally, I did not. Nobody really knows about your past." But how DARE YOU LIE and act as though you're some 'moral, Christian, upright man.' You've lived a life of DESTROYING other people's lives. "Did I give any new information? [Christian Walker's own social media comments on his father's loss.](https://www.businessinsider.com/herschel-walker-son-said-trump-demanded-he-run-for-months-2022-12) The younger Walker [tweeted](https://twitter.com/ChristianWalk1r/status/1600332798967001088?s=20&t=Sfms7ofH6roMckLOZ4IpfA) Tuesday that former President Donald Trump repeatedly called his father "demanding" that he run in the runoff race, even though "everyone with a brain" begged him not to. It was ridiculous." There was no quality there. "There is no quality as a candidate," Christian Walker said of his father. [Buzzfeed](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/christian-walker-herschel-senate-runoff-loss-georgia)on Wednesday that his father ran a "dumb" campaign.

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Image courtesy of "PRIMETIMER"

The View Hosts Praise Herschel Walker for 'Graciously' Conceding ... (PRIMETIMER)

Though Joy Behar began the discussion with a joke — "I was impressed with Herschel Walker's concession speech. There was no mention of werewolves or vampires" — ...

"That just kind of underscores what a bad man the former president is," added Griffin. With that, Behar attempted to argue that Walker is "not a bad guy," but luckily, Hostin quickly stepped in to shut it down. "And his mention of the Constitution was a direct diss against Trump!" The truth will root out." "We've all been very critical of Herschel Walker in some of his personal dealings, and lying about different allegations that he's pushed back against," she said. You've gotta still believe in the Constitution,'" said Sara Haines.

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Image courtesy of "Yahoo News"

Herschel Walker's Gay Son Has a Lot to Say About His Dad's Loss (Yahoo News)

Christian Walker remains furious at his father, a transphobe who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate.

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Image courtesy of "The New Yorker"

Some Lessons from Herschel Walker's Campaign Debacle in Georgia (The New Yorker)

After one of the most calamitous political campaigns in recent times, Herschel Walker, the Heisman Trophy winner whom Donald Trump helped talk into running ...

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