As Georgians flock to the polls in the state’s Senate runoff between incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, the Trump-backed candidate finds himself in big trouble after revealing that he “lives in Texas” while campaigning in Georgia, CNN reports.
During a speech to University of Georgia College Republicans, Walker reportedly boasted about having special insight about the U.S.-Mexico border because “I live in Texas. I went down to the border off and on sometimes.”
The former football player also told the students that he had decided to run for Georgia’s Senate seat while at his home in Texas.
“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 … 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.”
CNN also reports that Walker even gave several interviews from his Texas mansion.
Now, Georgia Democrats are calling for an immediate investigation into Walker’s residency, and whether he lied about it to get onto the ballot.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported that Ann Gregory Roberts has filed a complaint asking that the attorney general’s office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation “promptly investigate” Walker for an “apparent violation of Georgia law.”
Roberts alleges that Alker broke the law “by registering and voting in Georgia while knowingly maintaining his principal residence in Texas.” According to Roberts’ complaint, Walker committed a felony when he voted in the 2022 primary and general elections.
The complaint states:
“To be eligible to vote in Georgia, a voter must be “a resident of [Georgia] and of the county or municipality in which he or she seeks to vote. Georgia law proscribes a number of explicit and unambiguous criteria for determining a voter’s residence, including that ‘[t]he specific address in the county or municipality in which a person has declared a homestead exemption, if a homestead exemption has been claimed, shall be deemed the person’s residence address.’ In addition, Georgia law is clear that “[a] person shall not be considered to have gained a residence in any county or municipality of this state into which such person has come for temporary purposes only without the intention of making such county or municipality such person’s permanent place of abode.”
As reported by the Texas Tribune, Walker’s use of the homestead exemption tax break could be illegal according to Texas state law, which only allows homeowners to claim the break on their “principal residence.”
Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams doubled down on calls for a probe into Walker to find out whether he “lied about being a Georgia resident.” Williams said, “Georgians deserve answers … and Walker must be held accountable for his pattern of lies and disturbing conduct.”
Julie and I were proud to cast our votes in Atlanta this morning!!! Get out and vote Georgia!! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2i5I14ZXtD
— Herschel Walker (@HerschelWalker) May 24, 2022
