Herschel Walker, the leading candidate for the Republican Senate nomination in Georgia, questioned evolution at an event over the weekend, asking why apes still exist if humans have evolved from them.
“At one time, science said man came from apes. Did it not?” Walker asked Chuck Allen, lead pastor of Sugar Hill Church, during Sunday’s event.
“Every time I read or hear that, I think to myself, ‘You just didn’t read the same Bible I did,' ” Allen replied.
Walker continued: “Well, this is what’s interesting, though. If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.”
“You know, now you’re getting too smart for us, Herschel,” Allen responded.
As The Washington Post’s “Dear Science” columnists discussed at length in 2016, humans did not evolve from chimpanzees or any other great apes that are living today. Rather, humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor that lived about 10 million years ago. They are now on different evolutionary tracks.
During the Sunday event, Walker also appeared to question in vitro fertilization and other forms of assisted reproductive technology.
“And then, the conception of a baby,” Walker said. “Let me tell you, science can’t do that. They’re still trying to do it, but they can’t, because there has to be a God.”
A Walker campaign spokeswoman did not address the substance of Walker’s remarks in a statement.
“The country is unraveling thanks to Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden and the media wants to talk about Herschel in church on a Sunday morning. No wonder we’ve got problems,” spokeswoman Mallory Blount said.
The statements are the latest eyebrow-raising comments by Walker. In January, the Daily Beast reported on an August 2020 podcast appearance in which Walker promoted a “mist” that he claimed would “kill any covid on your body.”
Walker, 60, is a former University of Georgia and National Football League running back and College Football Hall of Famer. He has received support from Trump and some other high-profile Republicans despite facing domestic violence allegations and questions about his business record and residency.
Walker’s ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, claimed in divorce filings that her former husband was physically abusive and threatened to kill her, forcing her to secure a protective order against him. She told ABC News in 2008 that Walker had pointed a pistol at her head before threatening to kill her.
Walker told Axios in December that he is “accountable” for his actions toward Grossman but declined to discuss specifics.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last year that Walker’s ex-girlfriend told police in 2012 that when she tried to end her relationship with him, he threatened to “blow her head off” and then kill himself. Another woman has alleged Walker threatened and stalked her in 2002. No charges were filed in either of those cases, and Walker denies the accusations.
Rachel Feltman and Sarah Kaplan contributed to this report.
