Republican candidate Herschel Walker is making the most of a criticism from his opponent, Democrat incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock. Warnock made the mistake of mocking Walker for being in possession of what he called “fake” police badges during a debate. Walker quickly whipped one out and proudly held it up to the audience. As it turns out, the so-called fake badges are honorary badges presented to Walker by sheriffs throughout the state.

In response to the political attack from Warnock, the Walker campaign ordered 1,000 imitation plastic law enforcement badges that say “I’m with Herschel”. The campaign has turned the badges into a fundraising tool.

“Herschel Walker has been a friend to law enforcement and has a record of honoring police,” said Gail Gitcho, the Walker campaign strategist who ordered the badges Saturday.

“If Sen. Warnock wants to highlight this, then bring it on,” Gitcho added. “It just gives us a chance to talk about Herschel’s support of law enforcement and law enforcement’s support for him. It’s a great issue for us.”

This is something political campaigns do – they take the opportunity to fundraise off of something that has become controversial. It’s good to see a Republican who will push back and use the attack from Warnock to his campaign’s advantage. Both campaigns have support from law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement surrogates for Walker say showing his honorary badge is a show of support for them. Warnock is trying to cast Walker as dishonest and unfit for the office. Warnock, however, is a very flawed candidate in his own right.

Though Walker has a history of mental health issues, which now appear to be under control, Warnock’s problems are those of someone who is corrupt. He has doubled his personal wealth since taking his seat in the Senate. The has a problem with not being truthful. And, he has a character problem when it comes to domestic violence against his ex-wife. Oh yeah, there was a messy child custody battle, too. Glass houses, Senator/Rev. Warnock.

As I mentioned above, sheriffs across Georgia have endorsed Walker.

Before he ran for the Senate, as Warnock referred to in the debate, Walker had made embellished claims about having worked in law enforcement, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in June. Walker has said he has worked “in” and “for” law enforcement over the years, and he once suggested he was an FBI agent.

Walker’s campaign said that the FBI line was a joke he made in a speech and that he worked for years in a volunteer capacity for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, where the old sheriff had issued him an honorary sheriff’s identification.

Walker’s campaign also pointed out that he has been endorsed by sheriffs throughout the state — two of whom have given him honorary badges — as well as the Fraternal Order of Police.

Walker noted Warnock’s comments in 2015 after the shooting of Michael Brown in Missouri.

At Friday’s debate, Walker didn’t accuse Warnock of trying to defund the police, but he obliquely mentioned Warnock’s 2015 criticism of some police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, as having a “kind of gangster and thug mentality.” (Michael Brown had been shot and killed there by police the year before.)

“He’s empowered criminals to think they’re better than police and because he believes in no cash bail and releasing prisoners,” Walker said during the debate. “I have more sheriffs that have endorsed me than anyone running in Georgia right now. And I even have some sheriffs here. They’ve endorsed me because they know I have their back, and they’re gonna have my back. So to listen to him say that [he supports law enforcement] after calling them names, I think it’s a disgrace.”

I stand with Johnson County Sheriff Rowland and every other officer in this state and country. I will never back down on my support for them. pic.twitter.com/ISKFr3dwBx

— Herschel Walker (@HerschelWalker) October 18, 2022

Losing Senate candidate, Val Demings in Florida, got in on the action and dragged Walker on Twitter Tuesday using her own police badge. Demings is losing in her challenge to incumbent Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

Demings, a Democratic congresswoman and former chief of the Orlando Police Department, shared a photo on Tuesday with her own police badge, adding the caption: “This one’s real.”

This one’s real. pic.twitter.com/LvXg8yNeun

— Val Demings (@valdemings) October 18, 2022

Good for Walker for taking the opportunity and pushing back. It’s about time Republican candidates did some of that.