Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
Republicans have been desperate to equate Sen. Raphael Warnock’s ex-wife asking for more child support with Herschel Walker’s long and damning list of scandals. But the comparison between the two Georgia Senate candidates is even more inapt when you consider this: Walker may actually have a more troubling child support situation himself.
Walker claims a net worth between $29 million and $62 million, according to his personal financial disclosure. Last year alone, he reported an income of more than $4 million. But Walker pays $3,500 a month in child support for his youngest son—a son he has not seen since January 2016.
Compare the details of that child support agreement to the Republican attacks on Walker’s opponent. Warnock’s ex-wife is taking him to court to adjust his child support payments after he took an additional $174,000 a year from his salary as a senator. Asking for more money in child support when someone’s salary substantially increases—like when someone is elected to the U.S. Senate—is a relatively standard practice that Republicans have tried to scandalize.