GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s entire political career is rooted in anti-Blackness.
As a surrogate for then-President Donald Trump back in 2020, Walker played a position common for Black conservatives in right-wing media: criticizing other Black people.
Since then, he’s launched a political career with Trump’s backing, and like Trump, he’s been exposed for embodying many of the stereotypes he perpetuated about others.
Walker often references his son Christian on the campaign trail. But last week, faced with a new Daily Beast report, Walker was forced to confirm he’s had three previously undisclosed children in years past with other women. At least one of those women has sued Walker for child support.
Walker has denied hiding any of his children from the public. In a statement to the Daily Beast, he acknowledged that he has four children and suggested he doesn't discuss them much to keep them distanced from "garbage, gutter politics like this."
Sure, family business is personal business. But the problem here, as my colleague Steve Benen explained for the Maddowblog, is that Walker has been outspoken against absentee fathers in the Black community, and he’s repeated the neglectful-Black-dads trope in several interviews with conservative media hosts.
That includes an interview he gave to Black conservative duo Diamond and Silk last year, in which he lamented that “the father leaves in the Black family.” He went on to offer some advice that’s rich in retrospect. “If you have a child with a woman,” he said, “even if you have to leave that woman — even if you have to leave that woman — you don’t leave that child.”
He should have taken his own advice.
Walker has literally made a career in politics out of issuing criticism and condemnation of Black people that he would’ve been better suited considering for himself.
He spent the months leading up to the 2020 election speaking on Trump’s behalf in the press, which essentially meant denouncing the Black Lives Matter movement. All throughout September of that year, Walker posted deranged tweets and made media appearances to warn about the dangers the movement purportedly posed to America.
In one particularly unhinged tweet, Walker claimed “AMERICA is under attack by BLM.” That wasn’t true, but Walker does seem well-versed in attacks otherwise. Last year, he was forced to take accountability after claims resurfaced that he was previously violent toward his ex-wife. And he’s faced multiple allegations — which he denies — from other women who clam he was violent toward them also.
Calling out this hypocrisy isn’t nitpicking — it’s necessary. Walker has been picked and packaged by a conservative movement that’s billed him as a model citizen. And the movement has used him — armed with that fake backstory — as a weapon to demonize Black people.
Frankly: He's never actually had the moral high ground he's claimed. And it’s going to be even harder for him to claim it now that we know he likes getting busy and having kids on the low.