Herschel Walker expands his Georgia Senate campaign team as controversies mount
Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker has called in a team of veteran political operatives as he navigates relentless questions about his character that have whiplashed his campaign.
Herschel Walker, the Republican Senate nominee in Georgia, has called in a team of veteran Washington operatives and other national political hands as he navigates relentless questions about his character that have whiplashed his campaign in recent weeks.
The new hires, several of which were first reported by The Washington Post, were confirmed Monday in a statement the campaign issued without additional comment.
Herschel Walker receives criticism for air pollution theory July 12, 202207:40Pressed by NBC News, campaign officials described the timing of the staff expansion as coincidental. Some of the aides and advisers included in the announcement had been working with Walker since before the primary. Others are part of a plan to beef up staff for what’s expected to be a competitive match against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock this fall. The race could determine partisan control of the Senate, currently split 50-50 but favoring Democrats thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It’s typical for campaigns to build out at this point in the cycle — especially for a high-profile race like ours,” deputy campaign manager Mallory Blount, whose promotion from communications director was also announced Monday, wrote in an email. “We are happy that so many top-tier political operatives are jumping at the chance to join our campaign to defeat Sen. Warnock — since he’s shown he loves Washington more than he loves Georgia.”
Walker, a former football star revered for his playing days at the University of Georgia, has battled one controversy after another. After he easily won the GOP nomination in May, news reports trickled out over several days about three children he fathered but had not acknowledged publicly, undercutting his past laments about absentee fathers in the Black community. He continues to face scrutiny over his business dealings. And concerns about past domestic violence accusations that surfaced before the primary also linger over the race. Walker has denied criminal wrongdoing.
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