Herschel Walker is wrong to think this new ad will be a boon for his campaign

Georgia GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker had an eyebrow-raising response to a new ad that calls attention to allegations of domestic abuse against him.

The Republican Accountability Project, a political action committee that targets candidates backed by former President Donald Trump, released the ad earlier this week. It features a clip of Walker’s ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, describing a violent threat he allegedly made against her.

“The first time he held the gun to my head, he held the gun to my temple and said he was gonna blow my brains out,” Grossman said in the video.

Check it out:

But let Walker tell it, he’s “glad” the ad came out. In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, he claimed the ad dug up “old” footage and “took it out of context.” Although, I’d submit that your ex-wife accusing you of holding a gun to her head multiple times is bad, regardless of the context. Nonetheless, Walker claimed it gave him an opportunity to “end the stigma around mental health.” 

It’s quite the stretch to spin the unsettling ad as a boon for his campaign. Walker, who discussed his dissociative identity disorder diagnosis in his 2008 memoir, hasn’t denied Grossman’s allegations. Instead, he’s “owned up to his mistakes, sought forgiveness, gotten treatment,” according to a spokeswoman for his campaign.

Though Walker claims he’s been rehabilitated, that doesn’t mean his temperament and his mental fitness for office are beyond reproach. He’s not running to become Georgia’s top motivational speaker. He’s running to become one of Georgia’s senator. And Georgians deserve to question whether this particular candidate, who has a long history of alleged violence and deception, should represent them. 

For Walker’s sake: It’s a good thing he’s glad the alleged abuse is being discussed. Rest assured: He’ll be hearing more about it.