I do not take this as a good sign that Herschel Walker did not concede and I am not alone. An MSNBC panel called his remarks “conciliatory” but not a concession. The Associated Press called the race in Georgia at approximately 10:20 ET. Herschel Walker went before his supporters briefly at 11:00 p.m. according to Rachel Maddow, and complimented them on running a good race, fighting a good fight all that. He did not concede the race.
Is the lack of concession a red flag? The race had been called, first by Dave Wasserman at Cook Political Report, then by NBC, then by the Associated Press. When AP calls a race, as well you know, game over.
Walker’s aides know this, too. So why did Herschel Walker not concede? Or did he concede and this is it, even though he didn’t follow protocol and admit he lost and that his opponent won?
People are challenging this as not being a concession speech — at least in the You Tube comments. And technically, they are correct. A concession speech qualifies as a concession when you admit loss, say the opponent won, and if you have any class, make an effort to bring all the voters behind the newly elected winner and say something life affirming about democracy.
I’m going to take it as a concession speech, because if Walker tries to ask for recounts or claim a stolen election, he is going to get blowback from Brian Kemp that will be mindboggling. After Trump’s making Georgia recount the vote three times in 2020, Kemp is not up for a repeat of that.
I guess that this is as close to a concession speech as it gets in the MAGAverse. Or, maybe Walker waffled on purpose and didn’t definitively concede because he’s leaving his options open. That is a possibility as well.
Time will tell.
Meanwhile, Trump is screaming in all caps on Truth Social about the endless “witch hunt” because he’s trying to process the beating he took today with the Trump Organization being convicted of fraud.
Fun times in the GOP.
My guess is he was told to concede, but he has no idea what that means.
If (and that’s questionable) Trump had settled down from pure rage to “mere” white hot rage the news out of Georgia has got him all jacked up again. He will of course blame Walker (oh Herschel, you think getting whomped by NFL defenses was bad? Just wait until Trump runs his bus over you!) and the Georgia GOP and any and everyone but himself. While I admittedly don’t have much I’ll bet it all right now that Trump will be SCREAMING that everyone telling him to stay the eff out of Georgia cost Walker the election. That he and he alone was the one who could have delivered Walker to the Senate. Stock up on popcorn cause this is gonna be one hell of a GOP version of monkey slinging turds at each other!
As for Walker, he’s outside the margin for a runoff. I don’t know if GA election law allows for a recount if the losing candidate pays the costs, but if it does pray tell how/where Walker will come up with the money? He’s well off financially but even superstars (and he wasn’t one) in the NFL during his era didn’t get the kind of contracts we see these days. So he’s not about to cough up a couple of million. Trump? Don’t make me laugh. And neither the GA state GOP or the RNC will cough up the dough either. With the margin pushing two points AND the votes pretty much all counted well before midnight (in Georgia) the usual “electoin fraud” claims (I don’t recall reporting on anything other than insanely long lines – in Democratic strongholds of course) so there’s that. What rich asshat GOP mega donor is going to toss a couple of million down the drain on a lost cause? I just don’t see it.
As awful as it would be to see Walker challenge the results, we can take some amusement from the spectacular fail any grassroots fundraising appeal by Walker to fund a recount will be. Of course, if Walker tries Trump will be only too happy to raise money on his behalf – as in to his own PAC and then of course pass on only a pittance to Walker!
Time will tell. Walker has seemingly run illegally as he’s claimed a tax exemption for his residence back in Texas. If he’s got any functioning brain cells left, even if he doesn’t formally concede he should get his ass back to TX. Right away. And STFU & hope people forget about him very soon.
Like throwing this kind of a hissy fit helped Kari Lake. And for all her faults, she’s way more mentally together than Walker. It’s over.
He is an asshole and assholes never admit to being losers. He will probably never do that.