ATLANTA — Georgia election investigators found that U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s wife did not commit any residency violation by voting in Georgia in the 2020 general election after requesting an absentee ballot be sent to Texas.
The secretary of state’s office opened an investigation into Julie Blanchard after a news outlet reported that records showed that at the time of last year’s election, she was living in Texas.
An investigator on Tuesday told the State Election Board that no violation was found, and the board voted unanimously to dismiss the case. Officials said Blanchard has a Georgia driver’s license, owns property in Atlanta, has a business in Georgia, and pays state income taxes.
Back in August, Walker announced his candidacy to run for Senate in Georgia.
His stance as a Black conservative and Republican has been well documented in recent years. Back in October 2020, he endorsed Republican Kelly Loeffler in the crowded U.S. Senate special election to finish the term of now-retired Sen. Johnny Isakson. In 2018, Walker endorsed Brian Kemp in his bid for governor.
In August 2020, Walker was a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention in support of Former President Donald Trump's re-election bid.
Walker was born and raised in Georgia, was a three-time consensus all-American for the Georgia Bulldogs, amassing 5,259 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns over three seasons. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 and then went on to play for the New Jersey Generals of the now-defunct USFL for three seasons, including two when Trump owned the team. Walker moved to the NFL in 1986 and played there through 1997.