Few are calling for Herschel Walker's return to politics after he lost his bid for the Georgia Senate nearly two years ago. But they are certainly interested in his campaign finances.
Republicans in Georgia and across the country, desperate for money, are angry that Walker has more than $4 million left in his campaign coffers and appears unwilling to use it to help Republicans or Donald Trump in key battleground states in November.
With the Georgia Republican Party nearly bankrupt and the Republican National Committee regularly overspending by Democrats, Republicans say Walker's unspent millions could go a long way toward solving the GOP's cash shortage.
“These resources were requested and provided in support of his candidacy as a Georgia Republican,” said John Watson, former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. . “Georgia Republicans need to get those dollars back in every legal way their campaigns can.”
The political novice and former soccer star has all but disappeared from politics since losing a high-profile primary to Democrat Raphael Warnock. Walker had a glide path through the primary, but his campaign was plagued by several personal scandals, revealing an out-of-wedlock birth and a concealed abortion that undermined his conservative values campaign pitch. He continued to receive funding from Warnock, and his campaign strategy was undermined by Walker's interference.
After the race, Walker eventually re-enrolled at the University of Georgia to complete his undergraduate degree. This is also the school where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior decades ago.
When contacted by phone, Walker denied having a seven-figure bank balance of unspent funds in his campaign account.
“There was no money left in my account. “Everyone keeps saying that.” Walker said.
Asked to clarify what he meant, Walker quickly hung up, saying he was working on his thesis. He said “we can talk sometime”, but he did not respond to several further inquiries, including most recently last week.
A Georgia Republican strategist familiar with Walker's campaign said unspent funds should be refunded to donors, shared with Republican committees or used to help Trump in the 2024 primary.
“Republicans are wasting time everywhere, up and down the ballot, and there’s a significant amount of resources sitting there,” said the strategist, who was granted anonymity to discuss the matter. “It could be an endorsement of Trump, who did a lot for Hershel’s campaign.”
Walker, a former NFL running back who entered the 2022 Georgia Senate race with Trump's support, exited his failed campaign with more than $5 million in the bank. He had $4.3 million in his account as of the end of March, according to his most recent financial disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Walker transferred $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee's legal recount fund and donated about $400,000 to various nonprofits and charities. However, most of his remaining campaign funds still remain in his account.
The FEC limits how much campaign money can be spent. This money must be used for campaign purposes (transferred to a campaign or other action committee). Otherwise, Walker can donate it to charity. Walker and his treasurer remain custodians of the funds and no funds may be transferred directly to Walker.
But campaign cash could help the Republican Party's bottom line.
At this point in the 2020 election cycle, the Georgia Republican Party had $1.2 million in cash on hand. Now, less than half of that amount is reported. It's also spending a significant portion of its funds ($1.9 million since the start of 2021) on the legal fees of Republicans accused in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election racketeering case, according to its most recent financial disclosure forms.
Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McCune, who raises money for the state party, declined to speak privately with Walker about the unspent campaign funds.
State Republicans this year are focused on the presidential election and maintaining their majorities in the state Legislature, and Brian Robinson, a Georgia Republican strategist, said Walker's money would be best used to help legislative candidates in competitive districts.
“I will donate directly to candidates at the legislative level because we have to fight here to maintain our majority in Georgia,” he said.
A senior Republican official said the GOP had not heard from Walker in months and was not aware of any party committee or campaign currently seeking checks from Walker's former campaign accounts.
But Walker has donated some of his own campaign funds, although not primarily to political parties.
Republicans have complained that Walker has not donated money to the party, but the campaign committee gave about $410,000 primarily to nonprofits such as the Horatio Alger Association, Boys and Girls Club, Herschel's 34 and the Johnson City Class of 1980 (a registered nonprofit). I donated. According to FEC filings, it began in 2016 in Walker's hometown of Wrightsville, Georgia.
He also donated $100,000 to Polaris Action Inc, a national security-focused group founded by former Trump administration State Department official Morgan Ortagus, who embarrassed Walker on the campaign trail.
“No one will be surprised if he starts donating that money to newly formed charities in or around Dallas, Texas,” a second Georgia GOP operative said, referring to where Walker lived before running for Senate. Georgia.
Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.