Now Reading
CARPETBAGGER BUSTED: Walker–Texas Ranger?

CARPETBAGGER BUSTED: Walker–Texas Ranger?

CARPETBAGGER BUSTED: Walker--Texas Ranger?

Aspiring Georgia Senator Herschel Walker doesn’t live in the state he’s trying to represent.

Recent reports reveal the Republican nominee filed tax exemptions on his home in Dallas/Ft. Worth– TEXAS, not Georgia.

In 2021, Walker claimed a homestead exemption on his 4-bedroom, $3 million Texas home.

He listed it as his primary residence, despite registering to vote over four states away.

According to the Texas Tribune, Under Texas law, homeowners can claim a homestead exemption — which exempts a certain amount of a home’s value from taxation — only on their primary residence.

But homeowners may continue to claim the exemption if they “do not establish a principal residence elsewhere … intend to return to the home … [and] are away less than two years,” according to the state comptroller’s office.

Walker has claimed the exemption since 2012, after purchasing the home in 2021 – according to Tarrant County Tax Assessor records.

Texas allows homeowners to take the exemption if they move out of the state as long as they don’t establish residency elsewhere, and plan to make Texas home again within two years.

Georgia has established 15 rules to determine residency – though not all have to be met.

In 2008, the Democratic candidate for Public Service Commission, Jim Powell, was disqualified from running the office after taking a homestead exemption outside of his local jurisdiction.

It was later reversed.

“The Supreme Court said that a homestead exemption alone was not dispositive evidence that could disqualify a candidate,” according to Georgia State University law professor, Anthony Michael Kreis.

“At the end of the day, this is more of a political problem than a legal one in all likelihood, … where Walker can be painted as a carpetbagger. It does call into question whether Walker’s change of residency was made in good faith,” said Kreis.

Walker’s actions may not technically be “illegal,” but they do raise questions as he runs to unseat actual Georgian, Rev. Raphael Warnock (D), who is running against Walker for the remaining undecided U.S. Senate seat – coveted by both Democrats and Republicans.

The Heisman Trophy winner joins a handful of GOP candidates who ran in key battleground states, despite established residency in other states.

Bestselling author, and tech elitist J.D. Vance in Ohio, and Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania come to mind.

Walker has run a campaign based on half-truths and outright lies, so it’s not surprising he’d falsify his state of residence.

Hopefully, Georgians will see past the GOP’s attempts to steal a seat for political power and re-elect the real Georgia resident – Sen. Warnock.

Original reporting by Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck at CNN. 

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross
News journalist for Occupy Democrats.

© 2022 Occupy Democrats. All Rights Reserved.

Scroll To Top