A new ad campaign funded by a Republican PAC is targeting GOP candidates supported by former President Donald Trump, including Herschel Walker.
ATLANTA – Fellow Republicans are going after GOP U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker.
A political action committee started by Republicans opposed to former President Donald Trump launched a $1 million ad campaign Monday targeting the former University of Georgia football great.
The 30-second ad funded by the Republican Accountability PAC features Walker’s ex-wife, Cindy DeAngelis Grossman, describing how Walker tried to choke her and held a gun to her head.
“Character matters,” the ad concludes.
Allegations of domestic violence committed by Walker have been campaign fodder since he entered the race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock nearly a year ago.
Walker addressed the allegations last December, telling Axios he is accountable for everything he has ever done and speaking frankly about his past mental health struggles.
The ad targeting Walker is part of a $10 million campaign by the Republican Accountability PAC aimed at GOP candidates supported by Trump in several battleground states. That includes Pennsylvania, where the group is running ads targeting Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.
The anti-Walker ad will air on MSNBC, FOX, and CNN in the Atlanta market as well as major TV stations across Georgia.
“Herschel Walker might have been a great football player, but he clearly doesn’t deserve to be a senator,” said Sarah Longwell, the PAC’s treasurer.
The Walker campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ad.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
Walker was former President Trump’s choice for Republican Senate nominee
Former University of Georgia football champion Herschel Walker added another victory to his win column Tuesday when he beat five other candidates for the Republican nomination for a Georgia U.S. Senate seat.
Walker earned 68.2% of the vote in Republican primary, with about 97% of votes counted as of 1:00 p.m. Wednesday. Walker will now face off against current U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock in November.
Walker soundly defeated his five opponents in the Republican primary. Current Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black, was the next highest vote-getter with 13.4% of the almost 1.2 million votes cast in the Republican race.
Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and former Navy SEAL, received 8.8% of the vote.
Josh Clark, a former state representative from Flowery Branch, earned 4% of votes cast.
Kelvin King, a small business owner and Air Force veteran from Atlanta who is, like Walker and Warnock, African American, pulled 3.2% of the vote.
And retired Brig. Gen. Jonathan McColumn of Warner Robins finished with 2.4% of votes cast.
Though Walker is a newcomer to the state’s political playing field, his large fan following and former President Donald Trump’s endorsement propelled him to victory.
The Heisman Trophy winner decided to run for the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Raphael Warnock last August after Trump spent weeks touting Walker as a candidate.
“Herschel is tough on crime and borders, and he will always stand in support of law enforcement, military and our vets,” the former president said at the start Walker’s campaign. “He will fight hard for our Second Amendment and voter integrity.”
Walker shied away from media questions until the very last moment, taking questions only in the last week before voting while rarely appearing at public rallies.
Walker refused to participate in a debate among the Republican Senate primary candidates, leaving his opponents to debate an empty podium.
“If Herschel Walker can’t get up here, he certainly can’t beat Raphael Warnock in November,” Latham Saddler, said earlier this month.
That concern apparently did not deter Republican voters from endorsing the former star, who also had the support of Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.
Walker will need to overcome a number of other liabilities in his upcoming race against incumbent Warnock
Though Walker was born and raised in Georgia, he has lived in Texas for decades. He only registered to vote in Georgia last August.
Walker may also face difficulties due to his struggles with mental illness, especially dissociative identity disorder, which he wrote about in a 2008 memoir, Breaking Free.
And he has faced allegations of domestic violence.
A recent investigation revealed problems with Walker’s work for Patriot Support, an organization that claimed to help veterans with mental health concern. Patriot Support is not a charity but a for-profit organization and Walker overstated his role, the Associated Press reported last week.
On policy, Walker’s campaign website says he embraces a “compassionate conservative” agenda. He supports a total ban of abortion even in the case of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
Walker wants to secure the southern border, make America energy independent, confirm judges who will protect the right to bear arms, and fight for “more free-market capitalism,” according to his website.
Warnock handily beat his sole Democratic primary opponent Tamara Johnson-Sealey with 96% of the approximately 715,000 votes cast in the race.
The results of Warnock and Walker’s contest in November could determine which party controls the Senate.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Five Republican U.S. Senate candidates attacked frontrunner Herschel Walker Tuesday night for refusing to participate in a televised debate aired statewide by Georgia Public Broadcasting.
“This is pathetic,” said Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and former Navy SEAL officer, pointing at an empty podium placed on the stage.
“I’ve shown up every time I was asked,” added Jonathan McColumn, a retired brigadier general from Warner Robins. “The absence of Herschel Walker today speaks volumes.”
But the strongest criticism hurled against Walker, the University of Georgia football great who is holding what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the polls, came from Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black. He pointed to Walker’s record of “domestic violence, despicable business dealings and a bloated resume” as proof Walker cannot defeat Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“He will not win in November,” Black said. “Selecting someone with a record to defeat Raphael Warnock in November should be priority No.-1.”
All five candidates looking to pull an upset in the May 24 GOP primary welcomed news that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand. While a ruling isn’t expected until next month, a draft of a decision was leaked to the news media on Monday.
“I don’t understand what a pro-choice pastor is,” said U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and small business owner Kelvin King of Atlanta, a slam at the pro-choice Warnock, who serves as senior pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
But the candidates disagreed on a volatile question for Republicans looking to win a GOP primary: whether the 2020 election in Georgia was rigged.
Black said he was disturbed by then-President Donald Trump asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January of last year to “find” enough votes to put Trump over the top against Democrat Joe Biden.
“Public officials have a sworn oath to uphold the Constitution,” Black said. “I’m troubled when we don’t trust the system.”
“Follow the rules and follow the law,” McColumn added.
Black went on to say he believes election reforms the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed last year will help reduce the chances of future election fraud.
Former state Rep. Josh Clark of Suwanee said the 2020 election was stolen in Georgia. He pointed to the more-than 7 million absentee ballot applications the state mailed out that year, which he said led to “massive ballot harvesting.”
“I know there were improprieties in our election,” King added. “I can’t tell to what degree.”
Saddler suggested going back to paper ballots and in-person voting would restore public trust in elections.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – A newly launched super PAC is raising money on behalf of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker.
34N22 will conduct fundraising, grassroots engagement, television and digital advertising, direct mail and polling in support of Walker’s bid to capture next year’s GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“Americans deserve leaders who put people ahead of politics and work across the aisle to get things done,” said Stephen Lawson, spokesman for the super PAC. “As Georgia’s next United States senator, Herschel Walker will use his business experience, common-sense conservative values, and record of results to bring people together to restore hope, unity, and opportunities for working families.”
Super PACs are independent political action committees that may raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions, and individuals but are not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.
Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy as a University of Georgia running back in 1982, entered the Senate race in August at the urging of former President Donald Trump. The two became friends during the 1980s when Walker signed with the United States Football League’s New Jersey Generals, a pro team owned by Trump.
Other Republicans vying for the Senate nomination include Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black; Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and former Navy SEAL officer; Kelvin King, a small business owner and Air Force veteran also from Atlanta; journalist James Nestor, and attorney Jared Craig.
With President Joe Biden’s approval ratings on the decline, The Cook Political Report recently moved the Georgia Senate race from “lean Democrat” to “toss up.”
Last weekend, 34N22 launched its first round of digital ads in Georgia, featuring spots across Facebook, Instagram, and Google. The campaign includes targeted, geo-fenced ads surrounding locations of persuadable voter blocs.
The ads are scheduled to run until Dec. 20.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker raised $3.7 million during the first five weeks of his campaign to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Contributions to the University of Georgia football great came from nearly 50,000 donors from all 50 states.
“Though we only had five weeks to fundraise this quarter, tens of thousands of Georgians and patriots across the country stepped up to the plate to help us take back the United States Senate,” Walker said.
“We are grateful for each and every cent and look forward to continuing to travel across this great state shaking hands with real Georgians and hearing about the issues facing their communities.”
Walker entered the race in late August at the urging of former President Donald Trump. The two have been friends since the 1980s, when the United States Football League team Trump owned, the New Jersey Generals, signed Walker to his first professional contract.
The other three Republican candidates for Senate – Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black; Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and former Navy SEAL officer; and Kelvin King, a small business owner and Air Force veteran from Atlanta, have yet to file fundraising reports for the third quarter.
Saddler reported in July that he had raised more than $1.4 million through the end of June, covering the first 10 weeks of his campaign.
At the same time, Black reported raising more than $703,000. However, that covered just three weeks because he entered the contest later than Saddler.
King raised nearly $680,000 during the third quarter, including a $300,000 loan he made to his campaign.
Warnock also has yet to report his third-quarter fundraising totals. However, the Democrat’s campaign got off to a strong start during the second quarter, raising $7 million in April, May and June.
Third quarter fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission are due to be filed by Friday.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
