Former Dallas Cowboy Herschel Walker keeps Texas home exemption while running in Georgia

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Herschel Walker has continued to claim his Tarrant County home as his primary residence in Texas as the first-time political candidate seeks a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. Walker is endorsed by conservative Republican politicians from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to former President Donald Trump.

Tarrant County Appraisal District records confirm a home owned by Walker in Westlake has a “homestead general” exemption on the property that has a total appraised value of $3,080,000 for 2022.

Walker faces a Dec. 6 runoff against Democrat Raphael Warnock in the election, one of the most watched races in the 2022 midterm votes nationwide.

Texas law spells out that “to qualify for the general residence homestead exemption an individual must have an ownership interest in the property and use the property as the individual’s principal residence. An applicant is required to state that he or she does not claim an exemption on another residence homestead in or outside of Texas.”

The Texas Comptroller’s website elaborates, saying, “If you temporarily move away from your home, you may continue to receive the exemption if you do not establish a principal residence elsewhere, you intend to return to the home, and you are away less than two years. You may continue to receive the exemption if you do not occupy the residence for more than two years only if you are in military service serving inside or outside of the United States or live in a facility providing services related to health, infirmity or aging.”

Walker registered to vote in Atlanta in 2021 after living in Texas for two decades and voting infrequently, CNN reported. The Heisman Trophy winner and former Cowboys star, who also played for Trump’s New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League, had not responded publicly to reports about his Texas exemption as of midday Thursday.

Criticisms and questions have swirled about Walker’s residency since last year, when he began openly exploring the possibility running for Senate in Georgia. That state has 15 rules related to running for office and voting in Georgia, not all of which must be met, that are taken into account in establishing residency there, CNN also reported. Requirements under the U.S. Constitution mandate that a potential senator be an inhabitant of their state when elected.

Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, told CNN that state law related to establishing residence for eligibility to run for office is flexible and ultimately, Walker’s biggest problem could be political.

Assistant political editor John Gravois contributed to this report, which contains material from CNN.