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Georgia officials urged to investigate Herschel Walker’s North Texas residential tax break

The former Dallas Cowboys running back has an exemption worth about $1,500 on the Tarrant County propoerty with an appraised value of $3,080,000.

ATLANTA — State investigators are being urged to probe whether Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker violated the law by receiving a tax break on his North Texas home meant for primary residents of that state even as he runs for federal office in Georgia.

The complaint filed Sunday by Ann Gregory Roberts asked the attorney general’s office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation to “promptly investigate this apparent violation of Georgia law” ahead of the Dec. 6 runoff against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Tarrant County Appraisal District records confirm a home owned by Walker in Westlake has a general homestead exemption on the property that has a total appraised value of $3,080,000 for 2022. The exemption is worth about $1,500 on the property owned by the former Dallas Cowboys star running back.

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Walker and Warnock’s runoff is one of the most watched races in the 2022 midterm votes nationwide. Among Walker’s supporters are former President Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

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Walker’s campaign has declined requests for comment about the tax records, which were first reported by CNN. The documents show Walker has claimed the exemption since 2012.

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The records brought new scrutiny to questions Walker has faced about his residency that precede his decision to formally run for office.

A former Heisman Trophy winner who played for the Georgia Bulldogs, Walker lived in Texas for decades before registering to vote in Georgia in August 2021 shortly before he declared his candidacy.

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At the time, Walker’s main GOP rival challenged him to “move here, pay taxes here, register and vote in some elections” before running. Warnock’s allies have taken a similar line of attack, framing the Republican as an out-of-state charlatan.

The U.S. Constitution has few restrictions on potential U.S. Senate candidates. It requires only that a senator be 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for nine years and an “inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen” when elected.

Georgia law includes more than a dozen stipulations to be considered when establishing residency, including where the candidate takes their homestead exemption.

The complaint by Roberts asks authorities to investigate whether Walker violated state law “by registering and voting in Georgia while knowingly maintaining his principal residence in Texas.”

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.”

This report contains material from The Dallas Morning News archives.