Herschel Walker: US Senate candidate 'never denied' having children

Former Georgia football player has repeatedly criticised absentee fathers for years

Former US president Donald Trump shakes hands with Herschel Walker after the US football player signed a four-year contract with the New Jersey Generals USFL football team. AP
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Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker said on Saturday that he "never denied" the existence of children he had not publicly disclosed before, telling conservative Christians that his kids "knew the truth”.

Speaking before a friendly audience at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual “Road to Majority” conference, Mr Walker said the revelations about his children had only emboldened his campaign.

“Well, first of all, they knew the truth. I’ve never denied any of my kids and I love them more than I love anything," he said. “And they didn’t do anything, which just makes me want to fight harder because I’m tired of people misleading the American people. I’m tired of people misleading my family.”

Mr Walker's comments came after the American news website The Daily Beast reported that the former football star has four children, including two sons and a daughter whom he had never discussed publicly.

He has repeatedly criticised absentee fathers over the years and has called on black men in particular to play an active role in the children's lives, holding up his relationship with his son, Christian, as an example.

Mr Walker, who was interviewed on stage in Nashville, Tennessee, by coalition chair Ralph Reed, said he “knew what I signed up for when I got into this and they don’t realise that”.

“No weapon formed against me should ever prosper,” he said, prompting loud applause and cheers.

Mr Walker will face Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in the November general election, with the contest helping to determine which party will control the Senate, now split 50-50, next year.

Mr Walker, who has been endorsed by top Republicans, including former president Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has faced serious allegations throughout his campaign. These include claims that he threatened his ex-wife's life and that he has lied about his background.

There have also been allegations that he dramatically inflated his record as a businessman; overstated his role in a for-profit programme that is alleged to have preyed on veterans while defrauding the government; and that he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia. However, he did not graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.

Updated: December 07, 2022, 5:09 AM