Senate candidate Herschel Walker is facing renewed allegations of carpetbagging, ahead of next week’s runoff election in Georgia, for claiming a special property tax break in Texas and making statements about living in the Lone Star State while campaigning to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
With the runoff election scheduled for next Tuesday, Walker’s residency and eligibility for Senate have been questioned by Democrats who say he “lied about being a Georgia resident.” A CNN report scrutinizing Walker’s statements found that in January of this year, while campaigning for Senate in Georgia, he described Texas as his “home.”
“I live in Texas,” Walker told a group of University of Georgia College Republicans on Jan. 12. “I went down to the border off and on sometimes,” he said, attacking congressional Democrats for neglecting to visit the border and address the illegal immigration crisis.
Walker made those comments after describing how he decided to run for Senate in Georgia while observing divisions in the country from his home in Texas.
Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker talks with supporters during a rally on Nov. 21, 2022, in Milton, Georgia.
(Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
“Everyone asks me, why did I decide to run for a Senate seat? Because to be honest with you, this is never something I ever, ever, ever thought in my life I’d ever do,” Walker said. “And that’s the honest truth. As I was sitting in my home in Texas, I was sitting in my home in Texas, and I was seeing what was going on in this country. I was seeing what was going on in this country with how they were trying to divide people.”
Those statements appear to contradict the “Georgia born, Georgia bred” image Walker, a legendary University of Georgia running back, has portrayed to voters. Complicating the matter are reports that Walker is getting a $1,500 tax exemption from his home in Dallas, which is supposed to be reserved for an individual’s principal residence.
On Monday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported a complaint had been filed with the state attorney general’s office asking for an investigation into whether Walker violated Georgia law by claiming this tax exemption.
The complaint centers on publicly available tax records first reported by CNN that show Walker claimed a homestead tax exemption for his residence in the Dallas area in 2021 and 2022. Texas homeowner regulations state that only an individual’s “principal residence” qualifies for this exemption.
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Georgia Democratic senate candidate U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks during a campaign rally on Nov. 27, 2022, in Morrow, Georgia.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
According to the Texas Comptroller’s website, Texas residents are allowed to receive the homestead exemption even if they move away for less than two years – as long as they do not establish permanent residency somewhere else. According to the site, only a homeowner’s principal residents qualify for the tax break.
The U.S. Constitution requires that that candidates in habit the state in which they will represent. The state of Georgia has about 15 rules that determine residency for candidates and includes that where a candidate claims a homestead exemption, that home will be considered their permanent residence.
Walker, who registered to vote in Atlanta in 2021, has a residence in Georgia that is registered in his wife’s name but not his own. He previously lived in Texas for about two decades.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker, left, speaks during an election night watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Atlanta. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, right, speaks during an election night watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Atlanta.
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Democrats have sought to make questions about Walker’s residency an issue in the final weeks of the runoff election.
“The Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the Georgia Attorney General’s office must immediately investigate whether Herschel Walker lied about being a Georgia resident,” Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., said in a statement Monday.
“Georgians deserve answers, and Walker must be held accountable for his pattern of lies and disturbing conduct. This is yet another reminder that Walker lacks both the competence and character to be our U.S. Senator,” she added.
The Walker campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
