CNN
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The Republican cavalry is riding into Georgia on Tuesday for Senate nominee Herschel Walker, whose campaign was rocked last week by allegations the former football star – who supports a national abortion ban without exceptions – twice asked an ex-girlfriend to have the procedure and paid for it on the occasion she did.
Walker will be joined by Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chair of the party’s Senate campaign arm, and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton at a stop in Carrollton, about an hour west of Atlanta, on a statewide bus tour as a show of strength from national Republicans for the Trump-backed nominee in one of their most important pick-up opportunities.
Their visit comes at a crucial moment in a race critical to both parties’ hopes of winning the 50-50 Senate. Most polling shows Walker and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who’s running for a full six-year term, in a tight contest less than a month before Election Day.
Following the recent stories about Walker, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, helmed by Scott, plans to direct some of the $2.5 million in ad spending it is pulling out of New Hampshire to Georgia, while party leaders – including former President Donald Trump and Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel – are closing ranks in support of Walker.
Walker has denied reports from The Daily Beast and New York Times that, taken together, found that the Republican reimbursed a woman with whom he was in a relationship for a 2009 abortion and then, two years later, again sought for her to have the procedure after she became pregnant. She refused the second time and had a son, who she said is now 10 years old.
CNN has not independently confirmed the woman’s allegation about the abortion or that Walker urged her to terminate a second pregnancy. CNN has reached out to the Walker campaign for comment.
Walker denied the initial Daily Beast report and has repeatedly called the woman’s claims a “flat-out lie,” using the phrase at a news conference last week and in a fundraising email on Monday, in which he depicted himself as the victim of a smear campaign and compared himself to Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh.
“Let me be clear: I have never paid for anyone to have an abortion. It’s a flat-out lie,” Walker wrote in the email, which accused “the Left” of engineering the reports about him, then added, “Their intimidation tactics didn’t work on Justices Thomas or Kavanaugh, and they’re not going to work on me.”
In comments to NBC News on Friday, Walker appeared to confirm that he knows the identity of the woman who claimed he paid for an abortion. However, he continued to deny any knowledge of the procedure.
“She has been angry at me for years and it is very difficult,” he told NBC, in what the outlet said was a brief interview.
The decision by Scott and Cotton to travel to Georgia for the rally underscores the GOP’s belief that the accusations against Walker have not done irreparable harm to his chances. Their visit also bolsters the GOP strategy of seeking to make Walker look like a victim unfairly maligned.
“The Democrats want to destroy this country, and they will try to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Today it’s Herschel Walker, but tomorrow it’s the American people,” Scott said in a statement sent to CNN on Saturday. “I’m proud to stand with Herschel Walker and make sure Georgians know that he will always fight to protect them from the forces trying to destroy Georgia values and Georgia’s economy, led by Raphael Warnock.”
McDaniel, the RNC chief, affirmed the party establishment’s backing in a Sunday fundraising pitch to supporters. After describing the reports as “concocted” and “nothing short of character assassination.”
“Herschel Walker will deliver a safer and more prosperous Georgia, and the RNC stands by our support of his campaign,” McDaniel wrote.
Walker also has the continued support of Trump, who accused the media of “slandering” the candidate in a social media post. A new super PAC launched by top Trump allies, MAGA Inc., has also committed nearly $1 million in new spending to the Georgia race, as part of a five-state, $5 million outlay on key Senate races.
Trump’s example has been central to Republicans’ response to the accusations.
Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise made specific reference to the former President while speaking to staffers last Tuesday, acknowledging that the first Daily Beast report was a setback, a source familiar with the remarks told CNN last week. But he also pointed to Trump’s victory in 2016 – alluding to the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which he spoke crudely about groping women – as evidence that Walker remained a viable candidate, also noting that the campaign had seen a surge in fundraising in the hours since Walker denied the initial allegations. (Paradise later denied referencing the “Access Hollywood” video.)
There has, however, been some hint of trouble in the Walker ranks. The campaign fired its political director, Taylor Crowe, last week. Two people familiar with the matter said the dismissal came amid suspicions Crowe was leaking information to the media. It is unclear if there were any other factors at play. Crowe did not respond to requests for comment.
While Republicans rally around Walker and hurl unsubstantiated accusations against Democrats and Warnock, with claims they are fabricating the woman’s allegations, the incumbent has been mostly quiet on the matter, refusing to directly attack or condemn his opponent.
“It’s up to Georgia voters. It’s not up to him, it’s not up to me,” Warnock told reporters after a Saturday rally in Columbus. “We do know that my opponent has trouble with the truth. And we’ll see how all this plays out, but I am focused squarely on the health care needs of my constituents, including reproductive health care.”
Pressed on whether he believes Walker’s denials, Warnock again demurred, saying that his view “is irrelevant because the people of Georgia will decide.”
Source : Nbcnewyork
