Georgia Democratic Senate nominee Raphael Warnock hit out at Herschel Walker for his comments on insulin prices.
At a rally attended by former President Obama, Warnock criticised remarks made by Walker during a debate on 14 October. Walker, who came under fire after two women claimed the pro-life former NFL star paid for their abortions, hinted that diabetic patients concerned about insulin prices should “eat right.”
“We live in a state where 11 per cent of the adults have diabetes,” Mr Warnock said on Friday. “When I pointed out the ways in which there are bad corporate actors who are gouging a drug that people need that’s been around for 100 years, do you know what my opponent said? He said they just need to “eat right.”
Mr Warnock added, “You actually have to know stuff to do this job,” as the crowd applauded. Mr Warnock, a pastor elected senator after a special election in January 2021, was at the forefront of the Inflation Reduction Act, a law passed earlier this year that limits the monthly cost of insulin to no more than $35.
During their only debate, in which Mr Walker infamously flashed a ‘prop’ police badge, Mr Warnock confronted his opponent on his decision to not support the legislation, prompting Mr Walker’s response that he “believe[s] in reducing insulin but at the same time, you gotta eat right.”
“While he’s blaming the people of Georgia, I’m holding the pharmaceutical companies accountable. You can’t lead the people unless you love the people. You can’t love the people unless you walk among the people,” Mr Warnock said at the rally.
Mr Walker, a former NFL player with no qualifications in medical practice, said during the debate: “I know many people [who are] on insulin. Unless you’re eating right, insulin is doing you no good. So you have to get food prices down and you gotta get gas down so you can go get insulin.”
Mr Warnock called Mr Walker “a man who lies about the most basic facts in his life,” and that he “wore his lies, quite literally, as a badge of honour,” in reference to the fake badge incident during the debate.
As Election Day nears on 8 November with control of the Senate floor at stake, eyes are on Georgia, considered one of four toss-up states, per Fox News.
Meanwhile, Mr Walker has sparked controversy after two women came forward with claims that he paid for their abortions.
On Thursday, a woman alleged that Mr Walker allegedly drove her to the clinic where she had the medical proceeding and called him a hypocrite and unfit to serve in elected office during a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred.
The allegation follows a report by the Daily Beast that Mr Walker paid for another girlfriend’s abortion. The New York Times later reported that he pressured that same girlfriend to have a second abortion, which ended their relationship.
Addressing the accusations at his own rally on Thursday, Mr Walker said “I’m winning this election,” Fox News Digital reported.
“I don’t care who’s behind this, they’re not stopping me. I’m winning this,” Mr Walker told the outlet.
