Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker speaks throughout a marketing campaign cease in Dawsonville, Ga., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022.
John Bazemore/AP
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John Bazemore/AP
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker speaks throughout a marketing campaign cease in Dawsonville, Ga., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022.
John Bazemore/AP
A second lady is accusing Georgia Senate nominee Herschel Walker of pressuring her into having an abortion, calling the Republican a “hypocrite” for campaigning towards abortion entry whereas allegedly pushing her to get one in 1993.
“Herschel Walker is a hypocrite and he’s not match to be a U.S. senator,” an nameless lady who glided by the title Jane Doe mentioned in a Wednesday press convention. “We do not want folks within the U.S. Senate who profess one factor and do one other.”
The lady is declining to share her identification out of security considerations, in line with her lawyer Gloria Allred, and got here ahead after listening to Walker deny allegations from one other lady who mentioned he paid for her to have an abortion. NPR has not been in a position to independently corroborate both lady’s claims.
Jane Doe mentioned she had an affair with Walker whereas he was married to his first spouse Cindy Grossman from 1987 till the alleged abortion in 1993, and claimed Walker drove her to an abortion clinic and paid for the process after she backed out of an preliminary try.
“I went to a clinic in Dallas, however I merely could not undergo with it,” the girl mentioned. “I left the clinic in tears. When I informed Herschel what had occurred, he was upset and mentioned that he was going to return with me to the clinic the subsequent day for me to have the abortion.”
The lady, who mentioned she is a registered impartial however voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, mentioned she was motivated to talk out after seeing Walker deny allegations made in a collection of tales by The Daily Beast that he pressured a then-girlfriend to have two abortions.
“Particularly, I noticed him state that the girl’s claims weren’t true as a result of he by no means signed any playing cards utilizing the letter ‘H,'” she mentioned. “I knew that was not true as a result of he had typically signed letters to me utilizing H.”
During a press convention, Allred shared a number of gadgets that Doe had from her relationship with Walker, together with a photograph of Walker in her resort room whereas he was at a coaching camp in Minnesota, letters from Walker to the girl and her mother and father, and an alleged voicemail that Walker left whereas in France for the Winter Olympics in 1992.
“What I can do is, I’m making an attempt to name you again whereas I’m right here, however I’ve to name you, like, early within the morning trigger it is late at night time there when I’m up and the restaurant is open,” Walker allegedly says in a voicemail recording. “But I maintain making an attempt to name you. I need to say I like you.”
Walker has continued to disclaim any and all claims he paid for an abortion, together with on the marketing campaign path Wednesday. Just earlier than the second lady’s allegations grew to become public, Walker deflected questions from reporters by dismissing the story earlier than particular claims had been made.
“You know, guys, I’m achieved with this foolishness,” he mentioned after an occasion in northeast Georgia. “I’ve already informed folks this can be a lie.”
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was campaigning with Walker and is one in all a number of Senate Republicans who’ve made the trek to Georgia in hopes of profitable the bulk this November, attacked Allred and tried to downplay the accusations.
“People right here should not going to tolerate it, there’s going to be a backlash in Georgia,” Graham mentioned. “This is coming from L.A. It’s coming from an activist Democratic movie star lawyer who went to the 2016 conference for Hillary Clinton, and other people in Georgia should not this dumb.”
Walker’s blanket denial of ever paying for an abortion comes because the first-time candidate has sought to stroll again his hardline stance on abortion in a state that has just lately seen prime races determined by tens of hundreds of votes.
The Trump-backed candidate beforehand expressed assist for a federal abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or the lifetime of the mom, however falsely claimed in a current debate that he all the time most well-liked Georgia’s new legislation that successfully bans most abortions after cardiac exercise is detected, round six weeks into being pregnant.
Walker has lagged in fundraising and most polls to Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who has largely framed the abortion tales as a part of a sample of false statements and exaggerations surrounding Walker’s marketing campaign, like overstating his private backstory and enterprise accomplishments.
“We know Herschel Walker has an issue with the reality, an issue answering questions, and an issue taking accountability for his actions,” Warnock’s deputy marketing campaign supervisor Rachel Petri mentioned in an announcement. “Today’s new report is simply the newest instance of a troubling sample we now have seen play out many times and once more. Herschel Walker should not be representing Georgians within the U.S. Senate.”
It will not be but clear how the allegations about Walker or his vehement denials will have an effect on the Senate race, particularly as a couple of million Georgians have already forged their ballots.
Polling carried out after the preliminary tales about Walker’s first alleged abortion cost noticed assist for the Republican barely decline, although oftentimes inside the margin of error. A current Monmouth survey of Georgia voters already discovered a majority of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Walker, together with a notable variety of Republicans.
If no candidate wins greater than 50% of the vote, the race would head to a Dec. 6 runoff that might as soon as once more resolve management of the U.S. Senate.