A bombshell report that accuses Georgia GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker of paying for a former girlfriend’s abortion has put his views on the issue under the political spotlight.
Walker has vehemently opposed abortion rights and has called for a complete ban. It’s a position he’s touted on his campaign website and at numerous rallies. The possibility that the former NFL running back may have paid for the 2009 abortion and then sent his ex a get-well card has prompted some on the Left to call him a hypocrite.
“I bet Herschel Walker isn’t the only Anti-Choice candidate who has paid for, facilitated or encouraged a woman to have an abortion. All of those hypocrites should be outed,” Democratic activist and political commentator Christopher Hahn tweeted.
I bet Herschel Walker isn’t the only Anti-Choice candidate who has paid for, facilitated or encouraged a woman to have an abortion.
All of those hypocrites should be outed.
— Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) October 4, 2022
The Daily Beast, which reported the story Monday evening, tracked down the woman Walker was allegedly dating in 2009. She provided the news outlet with a receipt from her Sept. 12, 2009, procedure, as well as bank deposit records showing an image of a $700 personal check, apparently from Walker, sent less than a week after the procedure. Walker allegedly told the woman it was “not the right time” for him to have a child.
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Montage of Herschel Walker’s anti-abortion statements. pic.twitter.com/4JxZ3N0OyK
— Ron Filipkowski ?? (@RonFilipkowski) October 4, 2022
Walker, a Heisman Trophy winner, is no stranger to controversy. He faced scrutiny earlier this year after revelations of multiple children he had not publicly acknowledged surfaced. Walker has spoken at length about the perils of “fatherless” homes.
On the campaign trail, he frequently mentioned his son Christian Walker but failed to mention the three children he had with three other women. He’s also faced allegations of domestic violence and was caught falsely claiming he worked in law enforcement.
Christian Walker publicly turned on his father Monday, accusing him of using his relationship to portray a happy family life that he claims is pure fiction.
“I’ve stayed silent for nearly two years as my whole life has been lied about publicly,” the younger Walker said on Twitter on Tuesday morning. “I did ONE campaign event, then said I didn’t want involvement.”
I’ve stayed silent for nearly two years as my whole life has been lied about publicly. I did ONE campaign event, then said I didn’t want involvement.
Don’t you dare test my authenticity. Here is the full story: pic.twitter.com/ekVEcz8zq3
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) October 4, 2022
He added that he “stayed silent as the atrocities committed against my mom were downplayed. I stayed silent when it came out that my father, Herschel Walker, had all these random kids across the country, none of whom he raised,” Christian Walker, a conservative social media influencer, said. His mother has accused the former University of Georgia football hero of holding a gun to her head.
Walker is locked in a tight race against Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Donald Trump-endorsed football star has categorically denied the abortion accusations, calling them a “flat-out lie,” and has vowed to sue the publication. The Daily Beast said it is sticking by its reporting.
Asked to respond to the allegations on Monday, Warnock said, “I’ll let the pundits decide how they think it will impact the race. But I have been consistent in my view that a patient’s room is too narrow and cramped for space for a woman and the government. My view on that has not changed.”
While other Republicans running for office have shied away from the abortion issue, Walker has gone all-in on the topic. He endorsed South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposed 15-week national ban and has repeatedly said he favors a total abortion ban in the United States, including in cases in which rape or incest is involved.
Walker told reporters in May that he wanted the Republican-led state legislature to be even stricter after it passed legislation that would ban abortion after six weeks.
“There’s no exception in my mind,” he told reporters at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. “Like I say, I believe in life. I believe in life.”
His comments prompted the Democratic Party of Georgia to tweet, “Hershel Walker’s calls to ban abortion in all cases — even rape, incest, or threat to a mother’s life — are dangerous and out of touch. He is wrong for Georgia.”
Herschel Walker wants to ban abortion in all cases – even rape, incest, and danger to the mother’s life. Who else thinks that position is dangerous and extreme?
— Georgia Democrats (@GeorgiaDemocrat) July 13, 2022
Walker has also repeatedly claimed in campaign speeches across the state that “I’m for life.” He has likened abortion to “a woman killing her baby” and has taken shots at Warnock, who supports abortion rights. He has said he can’t fathom how Warnock, a Baptist preacher, could ever be morally OK with the procedure.
In July, Walker spoke to 11 Alive News in Athens, Georgia, about the prospect of the Senate enacting a national ban on abortion.
“There’s not a national ban on abortion now, and I think that’s a problem,” he said during an appearance at a livestock barn. “Right now, I’m for life, and I’m not going to make an excuse for it.”
Georgia is among several states in the South that have passed strict abortion restrictions following the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Georgia-based Democratic strategist David McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner that the recent revelations will likely “cost [Walker] votes, and in a race this close, anything could be a deciding factor.”
“Herschel Walker and his campaign can sue the Daily Beast, but it will just be meritless posturing for the Republican base,” McLaughlin, host of the Kudzu Vine political podcast, added.
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McLaughlin also said Walker’s missteps are not his alone.
“Not sure what the percentages are, but here are the three people/groups to blame for this: 1. Herschel Walker; 2. Donald Trump for promoting him as a candidate; 3. the GOP base for blindly following Trump in giving Herschel Walker the nomination,” he said.
