In an attempt to quell the controversy that has enveloped his campaign since the Daily Beast revealed that Herschel Walker had paid for a woman’s abortion after the two became pregnant while dating in 2009, Walker held a press conference on Thursday.
It went horribly.
Walker refuted his payment for the abortion once more. “This is bogus, the abortion claim. The Georgia Republican Senate candidate declared it to be a falsehood following a campaign event.
However, earlier that day, Walker responded to the accusation by saying, “If it had happened, I would have said it, because there’s nothing to be ashamed of there,” in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
So…
In response to questions from reporters over such remarks, Walker, who has run for office on a platform opposing abortion rights, replied: “No, what I said – I was talking about something totally different… nothing to do with what this woman said. I previously said that the abortion claim is untrue. It is false.
The claims made by the Daily Beast have not been independently verified by AWN.
When questioned on Thursday about claims made in the media by his son, Christian, that his family had pleaded with him not to run for Senate and that he had been a subpar father, Walker responded with a verbal jumble.
The candidate claimed, “I answered, “Anything that happened with my ex-wife, or what Christian was talking about, I don’t know. “But, as I said, if something happened, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, since my ex-wife and I have been closest friends with her husband and my wife, so that’s what I’ve stated,” the man continued.
What?
Continuing, Walker said of his son, “I love my son so much. I adore this wonderful little man dearly. And regardless of what my son says, I will always love him.
The simple fact is that Walker is not a strong contender in this situation. He has battled throughout the campaign to transcend his football hero character, repeatedly failing to perform the fundamental duties expected of a Senate candidate.
Walker has this issue, as Philip Bump of the Washington Post pointed out to me: Walker has lived his entire life soaking in praise. At the University of Georgia, he was highly regarded. similar to his NFL playing career Furthermore, his post-football career. Never once has he been made to respond to a question, no matter how challenging. He has never been placed in a hostile environment. His resume has never been examined by anyone. Really, he’s never faced any criticism at all.
That’s not all that unlike from how our society generally treats many former athletes. Many sportsmen continue to enjoy their successes on the basketball court or the football field decades after they have retired.
However, the majority of those individuals never seek for office. Walker is also not seeking a low-level position. He is seeking election to the US Senate, a position with enormous public profile and all the scrutiny and responsibility that entails.
All of this does not preclude Walker from succeeding in his run. While Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock won the state of Georgia in January 2021, the state’s political heritage is still Republican. And despite the numerous other problems his campaign has faced, the majority of polling—which was mostly done before the abortion story broke—indicates that Walker is still within striking distance of Warnock.
Candidate quality does, however, important, at least in close contests. The fact that Walker is not a strong candidate at this moment is also all too clear. And in the roughly one month left in this campaign, he’s not expected to get any better.