Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker loves touting his food service company, Renaissance Man Food Services, as a minority-owned business, but on the campaign trail, things are different.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Walker has been promoting how RMFS has benefitted from being a minority-owned business, but while campaigning, the former running back has frequently slammed state and federal programs designed to help minority-owned businesses calling the regulations burdensome and adding the term minority-owned business creates a barrier between Black and white businesses.

“They have regulations for everything,” Walker said at a Hall County Republican event in July, according to the AJC. “I found out that I was Black so my company was a minority-owned business. Like wow, a minority-owned business, what does that mean? It means you’ve got to fill out all of these forms,” he continued. “I was like ‘I got to fill out forms to be Black?'”

According to the Census Bureau, less than 20% of U.S. businesses are minority-owned (18.7%). Black-owned businesses make up less than 5% (2.4%) of businesses in the U.S. To be considered a minority-owned business, the business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a person of color.

Melinda Sylvester, the president and CEO of the Greater Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce, told the AJC that Georgia has some of the most successful Black and minority businesses in the U.S. because of their minority business designation and the benefits that come with it.

“Not only are Black and minority-owned businesses contributors to the economy; they hire minorities,
therefore providing a pool of a diverse, talented and experienced workforce.”

This is not the first time Walker has put his foot in his mouth while campaigning. Since he announced his intentions to run, Walker has made missteps concerning his children, the environment, and threats against women, including his ex-wife Cindy Grossman. Despite that, Walker is neck and neck with his opponent Sen. Raphael Warnock in the latest polls.