Herschel Walker, the former pro football star seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, told Axios he is “accountable” for past violent behavior toward his ex-wife and that people should not feel “ashamed” about confronting mental health issues.
Walker long has been open about his difficulties with mental health, but this was his first major interview on the subject as a candidate. He spoke in generalities about past allegations of violence and declared that he never has broken the law.
Walker said he’s “better now than 99% of the people in America. … Just like I broke my leg; I put the cast on. It healed.”
In the interview, he answered a question about his relationship with his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, by saying, “I’m always accountable to whatever I’ve ever done. And that’s what I tell people: I’m accountable to it.”
But he added that “people can’t just make up and add on and say other things that’s not the truth. They want me to address things that they made up.”
A spokesperson from his campaign clarified after the interview that Walker was denying allegations of threatening behavior in the past by two other women.
Walker told Axios that, if elected, he would work to expand mental health resources across health care, law enforcement, and the military.
“Most of the things I’ve done after my struggles have shown people that you can get knocked down and you can get up,” he said. “And that’s what I want people to realize.
“Don’t be ashamed to address your issues. For a man, it’s very tough. For an African American man, it’s even harder. But you know, I want people to see that. And that’s one of the major reasons I decided to run.”
While the allegations have caused concern among some Republicans, party leaders largely have supported Walker after he declared his candidacy in August and was immediately endorsed by former President Donald Trump, according to The Hill.
Walker is considered the Republican front-runner to challenge Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock, who won his seat earlier this year in a runoff election.
Georgia state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, who also is running for the GOP nomination, has attacked Walker over the domestic abuse allegations, calling such behavior “disqualifying,” adding that Walker should “help other people that have the same problems,” rather than run for the Senate, according to Axios.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Walker’s openness about addressing his past will “defeat any effort to smear him… This is not going to be a situation where it can be whispered about, and there’s this secret that will blow up in late October.”
The Georgia Senate race is considered among a handful that could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber in next year’s midterms, according to The Hill.