When Herschel Walker lost in his bid for Georgia Senate, he walked away from politics with $4 million left in his campaign funds.
Now, GOP officials in Georgia and nationwide are clamoring to get their hands on that money even though it appears he is not willing to help out his fellow Republicans, per Politico.
This would be particularly helpful in Georgia where the Democrats are outspending the GOP in the battleground state.
“Those resources were solicited and given to support his candidacy as a Georgia Republican, and unless he intends to use them again for his own candidacy, I sure hope the favor would be returned,” John Watson, a former Georgia state GOP chair, said. “Georgia Republicans should be supported by those dollars in whatever legal fashion the campaign can.”
Walker lost to Rev. Raphael Warnock in a race fraught with scandals, including children born out of wedlock and abortion, which ultimately soured his stance as a conservative.
The former NFL star has denied there is money leftover in his campaign funds.
“It wasn’t money left in my account. Everyone keeps saying that,” Walker said when reached by phone.
However, he was reluctant to speak further on the matter and said, “we could talk about it some time.”
A Georgia GOP strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the money should not be sitting there unused. The money should be returned to donors, shared with Republican committees or given to Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House.
“Republicans are being outspent everywhere up and down the ballot and there’s a significant sum of resources just sitting there,” the strategist said. “It could be supporting Trump, who did a ton for Herschel’s campaign.”
Walker ended his 2022 bid for Georgia Senate with more than $5 million left. As of the end of March, there were $4.3 million left, according to the latest financial disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The National Republican Senate Committee’s legal recount fund received $100,000 from Walker, who also gave $400,000 to nonprofits and charities.
The remainder in his account has not been used.
There are certain things the money can be used for, including for election purposes such as a campaign or transferring it to another active committee or donate it to charity.
Walker and his treasurer are in charge of those funds, which cannot be used by Walker for personal reasons.
The Georgia GOP, in the meantime, is eyeing that money in a time of economic strife.
The Georgia Republican Party had $1.2 million at this same point in the 2020 election cycle. It currently has half that amount and is spending a majority of its funds on legal fees for Republicans charged in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ election racketeering case, according to financial disclosure forms.
Brian Robinson, Georgia GOP strategist, said the money leftover from Walker’s campaign could help legislative candidates.
“I would give directly to candidates at the legislature level because to maintain the majorities in Georgia, we’re really having to fight here,” he said.
