Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Herschel Walker’s campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter Monday targeting a newly formed political action committee it accuses of “impermissibly” using the former football star’s name, image and likeness to raise cash.
The two-page letter sent to Run Herschel Run PAC leaders from Walker counsel Stefan Passantino threatened to formally file paperwork with federal election officials to “disavow your activities and take any and all additional legal action necessary” to protect Walker’s rights.
“This is a scam PAC, which Herschel Walker has nothing to do with,” Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise said. “We encourage any individual who feels they might have been misled to reach out and request a contribution refund.”
Jeremy Brand, a consultant for the PAC, said the group was launched to jump-start a data-driven, pro-Walker turnout effort “if a runoff occurs.”
“Thanks to the generosity of many conservative business leaders,” he said, “we will have the resources and game plan needed to help get Herschel across the goal line to victory.”
Sheriffs blast Abrams’ law enforcement comments
The president of the Georgia Sheriffs Association criticized Democrat Stacey Abrams for her debate comments involving the 107 sheriffs who endorsed Gov. Brian Kemp.
Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie, a Kemp supporter, said Abrams’ remarks are “exactly the type of false, demoralizing, and offensive accusations that have driven good men and women away from the law enforcement profession.”
The exchange started with Kemp’s boast that 107 Georgia sheriffs support him for reelection, including several Democrats. He said their approval proves they know who “is going to be with them, who has their back and who continues to have their back.”
That’s when Abrams responded that she didn’t expect their blessing because she has never been a member of the “good ol’ boys club.”
“So no, I don’t have 107 sheriffs who want to be able to take Black people off the streets, who want to be able to go without accountability,” she said. “I don’t think every sheriff wants that, but I do know that we need a governor who believes in both defending law enforcement but also defending the people of Georgia.”
McDuffie said law enforcement officers “put their lives on the line for everyone in their community.”
“To suggest otherwise is insulting and outrageous,” he said. “As president of the Georgia Sheriffs Association, I was incredibly disappointed to hear what Ms. Abrams had to say about the sheriffs of our state, and I hope she will do the right thing and immediately apologize to Georgia’s law enforcement community.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Why Abrams’ campaign is optimistic about early voting
Top aides to Stacey Abrams held an online press conference on Monday to bring attention to the surge in early voting turnout that could help the Democrat’s campaign.
Abrams campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo highlighted an uptick of Black voters who have participated in the first two weeks of early voting. Some 450,000 Black Georgians have voted, compared with about 300,000 at the same point in 2018.
“The bottom line is Stacey Abrams can win outright. She can win in a runoff. This thing is not over. I know many of you in the media have counted us out. We are used to being counted out,” Groh-Wargo said.
“I can tell you that under the hood of these vote-by-mail numbers, we are seeing high rates of infrequent and less frequent voters voting on the Democratic side, really strong performance overall,” she said.
Herschel Walker continues to attack Obama
CARTERSVILLE — Three days after Barack Obama visited Georgia to campaign against him, Herschel Walker continued to bash the former president at a stop in this North Georgia city.
“This man came out of his golden palace, wherever he’s from to talk about me, talking about I can’t be a pilot. I’m not trying to be a pilot. He couldn’t be a pilot either,” Walker said Monday. He was referring to Obama’s remarks Friday night that voters should select a senator with experience much as they would hire a surgeon — or pilot — who was qualified.
At the Cartersville rally, supporters said they’re standing with Walker despite the scandals that have plagued his Senate bid.
Some said the media is lying; others that the Walker they see today is different from the one who allegedly paid for two girlfriends’ abortions. Still more say that other issues on the ballot are more important than Walker’s past.
In Cartersville, @HerschelWalker jabs at fmr President Obama for visiting Atlanta Friday.
— Anjali Huynh (@anjalihuynh) October 31, 2022
“This man came out of his golden palace, wherever he’s from, to talk about me, talking about I can’t be a pilot. I’m not trying to be a pilot. He couldn’t be a pilot either." #gapol #gasen pic.twitter.com/2IOBzhnlgM
Tynisha Williams, 53, said she has followed Walker since his days playing football at the University of Georgia and came up from Atlanta to see him for the first time.
She believes even if Walker paid for an abortion when he was younger he has since asked for forgiveness.
“Right now, it’s not about what Herschel did in his personal life,” Williams said. “It’s about the economy, it’s about the border, it’s about crime. It’s about our rights and our freedoms.”
For Jerry Millwood of Cartersville, it’s simple: He’s already voted for Republicans up and down the ticket, regardless of the merits of recent allegations.
“If you’ve been hit in the head as often as Herschel, you’d have some rough times, too. So I don’t hold that against him, and I don’t believe it’s all true,” Millwood said. “I don’t think any American that loves this country can vote for a Democrat right now.”
