Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign has raised more than $500,000 since the anti-abortion Republican appeared on Fox News to deny a shocking report that he paid for a woman’s abortion years earlier, says a campaign official told CNBC on Wednesday.
Walker appeared on “Hannity” Monday night shortly after The Daily Beast published an unnamed woman’s allegation, who accused Walker of urging her to have an abortion after she became pregnant while they were dating in 2009.
“It’s a barefaced lie,” Walker said when asked about the report by Fox host Sean Hannity. Walker’s accuser backed up his claims with a receipt from the abortion clinic, a “recovery” card from Walker and an image of a personal check signed by him, according to The Daily Beast.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Georgia, Herschel Walker speaks to the media during a campaign event on September 9, 2022 in Gwinnett, Georgia.
Megan Varner | Getty Images
Walker raised $50,000 in that interview alone, a source familiar with his Senate bid told NBC News on Tuesday. The person called the transport a record for the campaign.
Walker’s Democratic rival, incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, beat the Republican in campaign fundraising. During the last fundraising quarter, Warnock’s campaign averaged nearly $292,000 a day, NBC reported.
Warnock’s campaign has raised more than $60 million so far, compared to Walker’s roughly $20 million, according to OpenSecrets.
Despite Warnock’s fundraising advantage, the candidates appear to be neck and neck. Warnock only holds a slight lead in the polling averages.
The Senate race in Georgia, a swing state where President Joe Biden narrowly defeated then-President Donald Trump in 2020, is one of many key elections that will determine which party controls the Senate after the midterm elections. – November mandate.
The fundraising bonanza for the scandal-ridden GOP Senate hopeful came as top Republicans, including Trump, defended Walker against the explosive Daily Beast report.
“Herschel has correctly denied the charges against him, and I have no doubt that he is correct,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday on his Twitter-like platform, Truth Social.
Meanwhile, in a series of Twitter posts following the publication of The Daily Beast story, Walker’s adult son Christian accused his father of lying and threatening violence against family members.
“Every member of Herschel Walker’s family asked him not to run for office because we all knew (some) of his past. Each. He decided to give us the middle finger and air all his laundry dirty in public, while simultaneously lying about it,” Christian Walker tweeted.
Although the elder Walker didn’t specifically respond to Christian’s claims, he said on Wednesday he loves his son “unconditionally.” Walker added that he is “living proof that you can make mistakes and get up and keep going.”
Walker, a 60-year-old former soccer star, led a scandal-ridden election campaign. His ex-wife Cindy Grossman has accused him of threatening to kill her and Walker has confirmed he has more children than previously known.