Source: Politics<\/p>\n
NASHVILLE \u2014 Herschel Walker received resounding applause from evangelical Christian activists on Saturday, following revelations he had fathered three children he had not previously discussed publicly.<\/p>\n
The half-full room of conference-goers at the Faith & Freedom Coalition\u2019s annual gathering in Nashville went wild for Walker \u2014 perhaps the most high-profile Republican Senate candidate this cycle running in one of the most contested races.<\/p>\n
In an onstage interview with Walker, Faith & Freedom founder Ralph Reed addressed the recent barrage of news stories by saying \u201cDemocrats and the media\u201d were \u201cfiring artillery\u201d at the candidate. Walker, in turn, said he loves and has never \u201cdenied\u201d any of his children, before accusing unnamed forces of trying to mislead his family members.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t do anything but make me want to fight harder, because I\u2019m tired of people misleading the American people,\u201d Walker said. \u201cI\u2019m tired of people misleading my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
From there, Walker quickly pivoted to the need for America to become energy independent and decried those trying to \u201cconfuse\u201d people \u201cwith racism over here\u201d and the \u201cBuild Back Better Plan over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reception Walker received at the conference is an early indication that self-identified religious conservatives will give him a pass for a biographical detail at odds with their stated mission.<\/p>\n
The former Heisman winner stands accused of hiding from the public three children that he had with multiple women outside of marriage. And both Walker and his oldest son, Christian Walker, have been critical of absent fathers. The Daily Beast reported<\/a> that at least one of the mothers of Walker\u2019s unacknowledged children had to take legal action to receive child support payments.<\/p>\n Paulina Macfoy, an Atlanta resident attending the conference, said \u201cJesus Christ will answer\u201d the question of how Walker\u2019s parenting decisions square with his faith and his repeated criticism of absent fathers. Macfoy maintained that she believes Walker is a \u201cgood candidate\u201d because he \u201cstands for family,\u201d and said it was a \u201cwaste of time\u201d to report on his personal life.<\/p>\n \u201cHe who is without sin, cast the first stone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Walker is challenging Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) this November in the swing state, in a race that could shift control of the Senate. He has been endorsed by Trump and has embraced many socially conservative stances, including the importance of being a good father \u2014 a message he has targeted specifically to Black audiences.<\/p>\n In an interview, Reed said he did not believe the recent news coverage would hurt Walker\u2019s chances of defeating Warnock. He praised Walker\u2019s public commitment to his faith.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve worked on every campaign in Georgia, virtually, since 1976,\u201d Reed said. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen a candidate that open about his faith, ever, on the Republican side.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to his family, Walker said he didn\u2019t try to hide his children and disclosed their names and ages on a government form in 2018. The Walker campaign shared a photo of the document with POLITICO after the Daily Beast\u2019s reporting. The header on that form stated that \u201cnone of the information below will be shared outside of the PCSFN office.\u201d<\/p>\n Walker is a hero among Georgia football fans. He\u2019s been a public figure in the state since retiring from professional football. His popularity was confirmed when he dominated the state\u2019s GOP primary election in May. His celebrity persona, along with a national political climate expected to benefit Republicans this year, may mean Walker can absorb the negative attention.<\/p>\n But inconsistencies and controversies not only around his children, but also surrounding his business record, could turn off swing voters in a state that has seen a growing number of Democrats in recent election cycles. Walker has also been called out for lying about graduating from the University of Georgia. He left after his junior year. He also said that he was a member of law enforcement in Cobb County and trained with the FBI. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution <\/a>found no evidence this was true. The Cobb County Police Department, a county neighboring Atlanta, also said it \u201chad no record of involvement with Walker,\u201d the newspaper reported.<\/p>\n Walker has also asserted that former President Donald Trump never said that the election was stolen, in an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta. \u201cI don\u2019t know whether President Trump ever said that, because he never said that to me,\u201d Walker said. Trump has repeatedly said the 2020 election was stolen, including a week ago in his endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Katie Britt<\/a>.<\/p>\n Walker avoided debates during the primary and has so far limited interviews with media outlets that aren\u2019t conservative. His appearance at the Faith & Freedom conference consisted of a conversation with Reed, rather than a speech like most of the other candidates and office-holders who took the stage.<\/p>\n