Herschel Walker may have broken the law by running for a U.S. Senate seat while maintaining a primary residency in Texas. According to a report by CNN, Walker received a tax break on his $3 million residence in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, which is illegal.
Texas law provides a homestead exemption for homeowners who have a primary residence in the state. Walker filed taxes in 2021 and 2022 with Texas as his primary resident and received tax breaks both years.
Walker decided to run for the U.S. Senate in Georgia after Donald Trump urged him to challenge Sen. Raphael Warnock.
With the recently released report, some on social media have questioned Walker’s eligibility. The U.S. Constitution requires a potential senator to be an inhabitant of the state where they are elected. But in Georgia, a candidate must meet some of the15 requirements to run for senator.
According to the 14th rule, “the specific address in the county or municipality in which a person has declared a homestead exemption, if a homestead exemption has been claimed, shall be deemed the person’s residence address.”
Because Walker claimed his homestead tax for his Texas residency, he could be in violation. However, in a similar 2008 case involving Democrat Jim Powell, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled “a homestead exemption alone was not dispositive evidence that could disqualify a candidate.”
Warnock’s camp or the Democratic Party could challenge Walker’s eligibility, but, at press time, there has yet to be a confirmation on if a challenge will come before the Dec. 6 run-off election.
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