NewsNation

Woman says Herschel Walker urged 2nd abortion: Report

(NewsNation) — A woman who previously said Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, a Republican, paid for her 2009 abortion says he encouraged her to have another one two years later, a report published Friday by the New York Times said.

According to the report, the two ended their relationship when she refused to terminate the pregnancy.


The Times did not name the woman, who said she wanted to be anonymous for her son’s sake.

This comes days after an article from The Daily Beast first detailed the woman’s allegations that Walker reimbursed her for an abortion she had years ago.

According to the report, the woman showed them “credible evidence” of a relationship with Walker and that she is the mother of one of his children. Documents the woman showed the Daily Beast included a receipt from the abortion clinic, a get-well card from Walker and a bank deposit receipt with a picture of a check he signed for $700.

The allegations undercut Walker’s claims that he didn’t know who the woman is. If true, the allegations also contradict his campaign stance on abortion. Walker has expressed support for a national abortion ban without exceptions.

Another article recently published by The Daily Beast also calls into question Walker’s insistence on not knowing the woman, who shared a text message exchange she had with the candidate’s current wife, Julie Blanchard. In the messages, the woman tells Blanchard it’s “cruel” that Walker claims he doesn’t know her.

“He brought all of this on himself when he decided to get on a platform and denounce abortion and make a mockery of his children who have done NOTHING to deserve this,” she wrote.

Blanchard sidestepped the other woman’s comments, saying they made her “incredibly sad” and that she “continually tried to bridge a better relationship” between Walker and his son.

Walker has denied The Daily Beast’s original story, calling the abortion allegation a “flat-out lie.”

Walker did not directly address the allegations during a public appearance Thursday in Wadley, Georgia, but was asked about it by reporters following the event.

“This here abortion thing is false. It’s a lie,” Walker said when pressed by the media to address details in the report. “Democrats are desperate to hold on to their seat here. And they’re desperate to make this race about my family.”

His campaign has declined to comment about the New York Times story.

The woman, a Democrat, told the Times it was hard for her to watch Walker campaign publicly on positions that contradict his private actions.

“The fact that I had a choice — now he’s in the public trying to say he wants to put a ban on abortion completely,” the woman said, adding, “It appalled me.”

Walker is currently in a tight race for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock.

While Walker has faced intense criticism — including from his own son, Christian, who called him a “liar and critic” — others have doubled down on their support for him.

Some of those attending Walker’s campaign on Thursday didn’t mind the abortion claims.

“I really support him, I believe Herschel is a man of God. He may have done some things in his past he would regret,” Joanna Johnson said. “But he’s a new man now and he’s pro-life and I’m pro-life.”

Still, one poll from InsiderAdvantage and Fox 5 shows that Warnock regained his narrow lead of 47%, compared to Walker’s 44%, after the allegations came out.

Warnock and Walker are set to debate later this month on NewsNation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.