GOP Seeks Herschel Walker’s Remaining Campaign Funds

Former U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is facing backlash from Republicans in Georgia and nationwide for holding onto over $4 million in unused campaign funds, as reported by Politico.

Despite the potential to assist former President Donald Trump or the Georgia GOP in the upcoming general election, Walker seems reluctant to allocate the funds for that purpose.

Having lost to Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in the 2022 U.S. Senate race, there are no indications of Walker planning another political campaign.

“Those funds were contributed to support his campaign as a Georgia Republican, and unless he intends to use them for future campaigns, it is hoped that the support will be reciprocated,” said John Watson, a former Georgia state GOP chair, according to Politico. “Georgia Republicans should benefit from those funds in any legal manner possible.”

Walker defended the unused funds to Politico, stating that “it wasn’t money left in my account. Everyone keeps saying that.”

Reports from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) revealed that Walker still possessed $4.3 million in leftover funds at the end of March.

The FEC mandates that the money must be used for election-related activities or donated to charities.

Recently, Walker made a $100,000 donation to Polaris Action Inc., a conservative foreign policy organization, and also allocated over $1.5 million in campaign contributions to charities and political allies, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Frustrations among GOP officials have heightened due to financial difficulties faced by the Georgia Republican Party and the Republican National Committee being outspent by its Democratic counterpart.

“Republicans are facing financial challenges at all levels, while a substantial sum of resources remains unused,” a Georgia GOP strategist told Politico. “These funds could have supported Trump, who played a significant role in Herschel’s campaign.”

Meanwhile, fundraising for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign dwindled in April, with donations to Trump’s campaign seeing an increase, as per Politico.

Biden announced that fundraising efforts across his campaign, associated committees, and the DNC brought in $51 million in April, a significant decline from the $90 million raised in March following various post-State of the Union events.