In this blog post, we examine the policies and positions of Herschel Walker, Republican candidate running for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Also in this series, we profile Reverend Raphael Warnock, the Democratic candidate for the same U.S. Senate seat in Georgia.
Cary Ritzler and Guest Blog | September 29, 2022 | Climate Change, Elections, Energy Policy, GeorgiaBrady Watson, former Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, also contributed to this blog post.
This post is part of a series examining where 2022 candidates running for public offices in the Southeast stand on key energy and climate issues. Note: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Links to reports, candidate websites, and outside sources are provided as citizen education tools.
In this blog post, we examine the policies and positions of Herschel Walker, Republican candidate running for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Also in this series, we profile Reverend Raphael Warnock, the Democratic and incumbent candidate for the same U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. Election Day is November 8, 2022, and also features an election for Governor in the state of Georgia between Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, and incumbent Republican Brian Kemp.
Walker grew up in Wrightsville, Georgia, graduated from Johnson County High School, and played football at the University of Georgia in Athens. He then went on to play for 15 years in professional football. He is also the successful owner and CEO of two businesses in the food and service industry, H. Walker Enterprises, LLC and Renaissance Man Food Services, LLC. He lives with his wife in Atlanta.
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Walker states on his website that he wants to make America energy independent. He opposed the clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act because too much of the funds were going to trees. “Don’t we have enough trees around here?” he added, in comments that were first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Climate Change
“The Green New Deal, you know climate change,” Walker said. “I’m going to help you with that real quickly. … We, in America, have some of the cleanest air and cleanest water of anywhere in the world. So what we do is, we gonna put, from the Green New Deal, millions and billions of dollars cleaning our good air up.”
Walker then argued that “because we don’t control the air,” America’s “good air decided” to “float over to China’s bad air.” China’s “bad air” will then “move over to our good air space,” which would force America to “clean that back up.”
Walker has also argued that the US is not prepared to take action on climate, saying “If we was ready for the green agenda, I’d raise my hand right now. But we’re not ready right now. So don’t let them fool you like this is a new agenda. This is not a new agenda.” He went on to express his support for “gas guzzling cars” and claimed that there are “good emissions under those cars.”
Electric Transportation
On Twitter, Walker said: “Most people I know don’t want an electric car – they just want to be able to afford gas!”
Energy Equity and Energy Burden
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High-Risk Energy: Coal, Nuclear, Oil, Gas
Walker has often pressured his opponent, Senator Raphael Warnock, to support expanded fossil fuel production, including the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Voter Information
The voter registration deadline for the U.S. Senate election in Georgia is October 11, and early voting begins on October 17. Election Day for the 2022 midterms will be held on November 8, 2022. Find voting information in Georgia.
Read the Where the Candidates Stand on Climate and Clean Energy Blog Series
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