Following Defense of a Swastika, Walker Refuses to Condemn Anti-Vaccination Efforts

Herschel Walker, who’s facing a barrage of criticism for defending the use of a swastika, has refused to condemn the anti-vaccination efforts that led his campaign to condone the hateful symbol in the first place. 

As the National Journal notes this morning, Walker is one of the few Senate candidates in the country who refuses to disclose his vaccination status:

The campaign initially defended Walker, saying that the swastika “was clearly an anti-mandatory vaccine graphic.” His campaign has declined to say whether Walker had received the COVID-19 vaccine, or if he would encourage others to do so, although he did defend Nicki Minaj when she revealed she hadn’t been vaccinated. Even in the Trumpiest primary in the country — Ohio — most of the top GOP contenders said at a forum last night that they were vaccinated. After this week, it’s evident why some Republicans were initially skeptical of a Walker candidacy. 

In mid-September, Walker supported performer Nick Minaj’s false tweet about the coronavirus vaccine:

Afterwards, the AJC reported, “Herschel Walker hasn’t weighed in on many issues, but he showed support for performer Nikki Minaj after her false tweet about the coronavirus vaccine went viral. … (His campaign had no comment when asked if he had been vaccinated or if he was encouraging others to do so.)”

“As public health professionals, we know the only way out of this pandemic is for people to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Rebecca Mitchell, epidemiologist and Georgia State Representative for District 106. “By defending hateful anti-vaccine propaganda, Herschel Walker is endangering the lives of Georgians and slowing our economic recovery, preventing us all from getting back to normal.”###