The political opponents of Georgia Republican Senate nominee Hershel Walker are getting personal, they now involve innocents children in their quest to power.
The campaign for Walker has acknowledged the candidate and former football star is the father of two sons.
The acknowledgment follows a report published Tuesday by the Daily Beast on the matter.
Here’s what Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise said in a statement:
“Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn’t married. He’s supported the child and continues to do so. He’s proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is ‘hiding’ the child because he hasn’t used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd.”
Then on Thursday, the same outlet also reported that Walker had another son who was not widely known. For his part, Walker denied that allegation.
Here’s what Walker told The Daily Wire:
“I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They’re not ‘undisclosed’ — they’re my kids.”
“I support them all and love them all,” he added. “I’ve never denied my children, I confirmed this when I was appointed to the President’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition, I just chose not to use them as props to win a political campaign.
“What parent would want their child involved in garbage, gutter politics like this?” the former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner added.
The outlet added:
Walker served on the Fitness Council under presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In March 2022, Biden asked Walker to resign. The candidate said at the time that Biden was simply trying to throw him “off track” during his GOP Senate primary campaign.
The former University of Georgia football star has long spoken out against absent dads, especially in the black community.
According to a CNBC report, Walker said this back in 2020:
“If you have a child with a woman, even if you have to leave that woman — even if you have to leave that woman — you don’t leave your child.”
Campaign manager Scott Paradise confirmed Walker’s parentage on Tuesday in response to an article in The Daily Beast that said Walker has a “secret son” he isn’t actively involved in raising. Walker has publicly condemned absentee fathers and has touted his own close relationship with his adult son Christian in campaign speeches. “If you got a child, hug your child every day,” Walker said in a 2017 speech.
The second child’s mother took Walker to court a year after giving birth to obtain child support and a declaration of paternity, according to The Daily Beast, which cites public posts and a court document in its report. The publication withheld the name of the 10-year-old child and his mother due to privacy concerns.
The final child support order in that case reportedly came in August 2014, when the boy, who has taken Walker’s last name, was more than 2 years old.
Paradise has also accused the media of using a “double standard” with Walker his general election rival, Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock on the issue of fatherhood and parenting.
Warnock, according to Paradise, is “currently engaged in both a nasty mudslinging campaign and a nasty custody dispute with his ex-wife. He’s dodged voters by sealing the case and even has tried to dodge authorities.”
Warnock’s campaign told the Daily Beast that Warnock is “a devoted father who is proud to continue to co-parent his two children as he works for the people of Georgia.”
Walker is a former University of Georgia star and NFL running back. Walker played for several NFL teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants. With a 50-50 Senate, the outcome of his Senate race could determine the balance of power in Washington, D.C.
Sources: Conservativebrief, CNBC, TheDailyBeast, DailyWire