WHAT GEORGIANS ARE SEEING: Herschel Walker Taking Texas Resident Tax Break While Running In Georgia

On Wednesday, a bombshell report from CNN revealed that Herschel Walker “is getting a tax break intended only for a primary residence this year on his home in the Dallas, Texas, area, despite running for Senate in Georgia” —  and Georgians are hearing all about it.

See what Georgians were watching on TV this Thanksgiving:

WJCL News Savannah:

WJCL Anchor: “Walker is making headlines this morning after news broke that he’ll receive a tax break on his home in Texas that’s intended for primary residence. […] Some politicians claim Walker broke rules in Texas and Georgia for establishing residency for voting or running for office.”

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Herschel Walker was a great running back and we’re getting ready to send him running back to Texas.”

WJCL Anchor: “Incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock shared this video on Twitter with the caption reading Herschel Walker claims his primary residence is in Texas, how can he be our Senator in Georgia.”

11Alive News Atlanta:

11Alive Anchor: “CNN investigators dug through public tax records to reveal new details about U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s campaign. Investigators found Walker is set to receive a homestead tax exemption in Texas again – in 2022. Now, this isn’t the first time he’s done so: he did the same break in past years, as our Doug Richards found last year. In Texas, you are only allowed to take that exemption on your primary residence. So: could that be a problem as he’s running for office here in Georgia?”

MSNBC The Last Word:

Jonathan Capehart, MSNBC: “There’s new reporting that found that Herschel Walker has been claiming a tax exemption in Texas that he can only qualify for if he is a primary resident of Texas. And Walker took that exemption this year even after launching his senate bid. MSNBC reached out for a comment but has heard no response.”

Stuart Stevens: “In this kind of runoff you want to win every day, and the fact that it comes that you don’t really live in the state that you’re running for wouldn’t be counted as a plus. […] No one in the U.S. Senate, if he did get elected, is going to ever say ‘you know I’m going to ask Herschel what he thinks about this issue.’ Georgia’s had tremendous Senators in the past and they have two great Senators now.” 

MSNBC All In With Chris Hayes:

Chris Hayes, MSNBC: “Herschel Walker has been one of the worst candidates we’ve ever seen run for Senate. [Walker] doesn’t really live full time in Georgia. A new report shows Walker is getting a tax break on his home in Dallas, Texas — one that is intended only for a primary residence.”

“Walker’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Times, we’ve also reached out and have not heard back. The new information calls into question Walker’s standing as a real resident running for Senate in the state of Georgia.”

 CNN This Morning:

Don Lemon, CNN: “CNN’s KFile has uncovered this really interesting reporting that Herschel Walker is going to be getting a tax break on his home in Texas. What is up with that?” 

Eva McKend, CNN: “So this is a tax break meant for a primary residence. He could possibly have run afoul of rules in both Georgia and Texas. … For their part though, the [Walker] campaign is staying mum on this. But this really brings into focus that Herschel Walker was up until very recently a resident of Texas, that’s where he was living. He only recently returned to Georgia to mount this Senate run.”

CNN Tonight: 

Alisyn Camerota, CNN: “Herschel Walker has been getting a tax break in Texas, last year and this year, for what he calls his primary residence which is in Dallas, Texas. Which is not in Georgia. I’m just wondering if we think a carpetbagger claim will affect him?”

Molly Jong-Fast: “This is, to quote Mitch McConnell, a ‘candidate quality problem.’ These are not vetted candidates, just like Oz, and I think that he’s not from there. People want to be represented by people who are from where they’re from. So I do think that’s a problem. He’s also been plagued by scandal and there is a lot of stuff that has come out through this campaign. But ultimately, I have to wonder if even Republicans want him in the Senate. He’ll be there for six years.”

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