He campaigned against abortion, against homosexuals and in favor of the “traditional family” in the United States, but the candidate hid a secret that caused a scandal shortly before the legislative elections on Tuesday: two ex-girlfriends complained that he had paid for an abortion and one of them said that he also had a son with him, who was not recognized by his father or fed him.
is approx Herschel Walker, 60 years, a legend of Georgian footballwhich, despite his prolific personal history, could be the one to give the keys of the senate to the Republicans.
Powered by his friend Donald TrumpWalker is head-to-head in the polls with Democrat Raphael Warnock in Georgia for the U.S. Senator, and his victory there will likely give Republicans the majority in the upper house, so far divided into 50 seats per party, but with the playoff of Vice President Kamala Harris in favor of the Democrats.
Dominate both chambers
Dominating both houses of Congress is the big goal for Republicans in this mid-term election, and there are strong expectations for what will happen in Georgia. Polls predict that candidates will not reach 50% of the votes, with which there may be a second round.
Walker was rated as “a pathological liar” and without the ability to hold office for its democratic rival.
In fact, Walker himself has admitted in the past that he had been diagnosed a dissociative identity disorder and suggested that this disease had been the cause of his “outbreaks and erratic behavior,” including beatings and threats to his ex-wife with a gun to the head.
“He threatened to kill us”
His eldest son posted on Twitter that it was Walker an absent father and a man far from the ideal of a Christian family: “He left us to go with a group of women, threatened to kill us and he made us move 6 times in 6 months fleeing from his violence “.
It later emerged that the woman Walker allegedly paid to have an abortion in 2009 gave birth to one of her children, who was not recognized by the father. At first he said he didn’t know the woman and when he showed the check to pay for the abortion with his signature on her, he admitted for giving him $ 700, but he said he didn’t know what he would use it for.
More lies
What’s more, the Walker campaign website also falsely claimed it had graduated from the University of Georgia, when he actually dropped out during his junior year to play professional football, and it turned out that Walker also said he worked as a FBI agent and it wasn’t true.
“This is a man who he lies about the most basic facts of his lifeWarnock said on a stage he shared with Barack Obama. “Imagine him as a United States Senator… Herschel Walker isn’t ready. It’s not ready. Not only is it not ready. He is not capable “.
popularity intact
Despite the scandals the Republican did not lose votes, but it is practically related to its rival. Walker said he was a new man, “redeemed by the grace of God” and his message resonates strongly among the Christian sectors.
Georgia is part of the so-called “Bible belt”, the religious belt of the United States, and in that broad sector of the electorate they look beyond: many say they are not focused on Walker’s past, but on his current promise to be a senator. Republican who would support a national ban on abortion.
“We’ve all done something wrong,” they say. “Who are we to judge?” “If you wait for the perfect candidate, you will never vote”, are some of the justifications of his followers.
According to many Republican voters, especially those who call themselves conservatives, the Democrats have not done enough to tackle crime, inflation, fuel prices and immigration. they think there is an “excessive acceptance” of “homosexual rights” and that the country “needs a new direction”.
Evangelical Christians, the key
Trump narrowly lost Georgia in 2020, with 49.3% of the vote versus Biden’s 49.5%. But one group that strongly supported Trump was the Evangelical Christians: 89% voted for the former president. and walker he’s focusing a lot on them, appearing in evangelical churches and constantly talking about his Christian faith and redemption.
Georgia has one of the numbers Higher of evangelical Christians in the country. Various polls estimate they represent 33 to 39 percent of voters in the state, while across the United States. 24% consider themselves evangelical.
This was stated by Charles Bullock, a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia Clarione that “Walker’s success despite revelations about marital abuse, the disconnect between his pro-life position without exception and his favoring abortion for ex-girlfriends indicates that voters, including the vast majority of white evangelicals, believe that a Republican Senate is more important with respect to the character of the Republican candidate.
He explains: “These are behaviors that, a generation ago, would have been disqualifying and they are now neglected for those who believe in it The end justifies the means“.
This was stated by Joshua Kennedy, a professor of political science at Georgia Southern University Clarione that “many voters may not be particularly enthusiastic about Walker, but polarization, including ‘affective variety’ (i.e. polarization not in ideas but in feelings towards the two parties), will lead many Republicans to overlook the failure of a candidate simply because I don’t want the Democrats to win. That is, many of these votes are likely to be more against the Democratic Party than in favor of Herschel Walker.
He added: “I think it speaks of the situation in Georgia polarized nature of the political moment in which the United States finds itself today: many are more motivated by what they oppose than by what they defend.
Things have changed a lot. In 2017, Pennsylvania Republican Representative Tim Murphy resigned from Congress after he was made public. she urged her lover to have an abortion despite his stance against abortion. Republican leaders pushed for him to step down.
But now the Republican National Committee is pouring tens of millions of dollars into the Walker campaign to keep her alive, and leading GOP figures went to Georgia to campaign with Walker because his victory could upset the balance of power in the Senate.
Washington, correspondent
ap
Source: Clarin
