'It's a Lie!' Herschel Walker Denies Allegation He Paid for an Abortion
Georgia Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is facing allegations that he paid for a girlfriend's abortion in 2009.
The anonymous woman reportedly showed The Daily Beast a bill from an abortion clinic and a $700 check from Walker.
Walker, who supports a ban on abortion with no exceptions, called the charges a "flat out lie" and threatened to sue the outlet.
"I never asked anyone to get an abortion," he wrote in a statement. "I never paid for an abortion and it's a lie."
During an interview, Monday night, Fox News's Sean Hannity asked Walker if he recalled sending a $700 check to a girlfriend.
"Well, I send money to a lot of people and that's what's so funny," he replied. "I give money to people all the time because I'm always helping people because I believe in being generous."
Walker's son, Christian, has publicly criticized his father, calling his stance as a "family values" candidate hypocritical.
Republicans claim Democrats are using the report to distract from a tight race against incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith & Freedom Freedom Coalition, called it, "gutter politics."
Meanwhile, several leading Republicans are increasingly optimistic that their party will reclaim the Senate majority after the midterm elections despite the allegations against Walker.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and former President Donald Trump remained staunchly behind Walker on Tuesday in his bid to oust first-term Democrat incumbent Warnock. A Walker campaign adviser said the candidate has raised at least $500,000 since he first responded publicly to the report.
"If you're in a fight, people will come to your aid," said Steven Law, head of the Senate Leadership Fund and a close ally of McConnell.
Law said the Georgia race had grown increasingly competitive despite the Democrats' focus on Walker's personal life. And looking beyond Georgia, Law said the political climate was predictably shifting against the party that controls the White House, as is typically the case in midterm elections.
"It certainly seems that voters are returning to a more traditional midterm frame of mind," Law said.
During a Fox News interview Wednesday, Walker repeated his denials. Shown an image of the "get well" card the Daily Beast reported that he sent to the girlfriend — which was signed with an "H," not his full signature — Walker said, he doesn't sign cards with just an initial.
"It's like they're trying to bring up my past to hurt me," he said, before quoting New Testament scripture. "I'm a sinner. We all sin before the glory of God."
Yet Walker insisted his past transgressions don't include encouraging an abortion or paying for one.
"Everyone is anonymous, and everyone is leaking, and they want you to confess to something you have no clue about," he said.
Law said he takes Walker at his word that he did not pay for a former girlfriend's abortion.
He said voters believe that "Walker may have made mistakes in his personal life that affected him and his family, but Warnock has made mistakes in public life in Washington that affected them and their families."
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Veteran Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin warned his party against writing off the Georgia Republican.
"I wouldn't say Walker is done. Over the last couple of cycles we've certainly seen Republican candidates survive things that are not supposed to be survivable," Schwerin said. "There are a lot of close races, and the dynamics of this election are difficult to predict. Everybody is expecting multiple shifts in momentum between now and Election Day."
But Georgia may not be the only place where Democratic momentum may be shifting, according to their own party's strategists.
Based on historical trends, the party controlling the White House almost always loses seats in Congress. Democrats are also facing deep voter pessimism about the skyrocketing cost of living, the overall direction of the country, and Biden's weak approval ratings.
Still, political watchers say it's far too soon to predict a Republican-controlled Congress.
There is broad agreement among both parties that the Democrats' summertime momentum in states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin has eroded just 33 days before Election Day on Nov. 8.
