ATLANTA — A woman who accused Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker of pressuring her to have an abortion in Dallas nearly three decades ago appeared on camera for the first time Tuesday and said she felt “threatened” by the former football star after she revealed to him she was pregnant.
In an interview on Good Morning America, the woman detailed the allegations she made anonymously last week at an event organised by Gloria Allred. That’s when she said she had a years-long romantic relationship with Walker and that he urged her to have an abortion when she became pregnant in 1993.
The anonymous woman stated that she was compelled to perform the abortion because of the Dallas Cowboys’ star running back. Walker is running to be a strong opponent of abortion rights. She has called for an absolute ban on the procedure in all cases, including those involving rape and incest.
In a statement shortly after the interview aired, Walker said the claim was “a lie a week ago and it is a lie today.”
He also denied having met the woman. However, he did show a photograph of the two of them together in the interview. Walker took aim at Allred who is a Los Angeles attorney who represents women in cases against high-powered males.
“Seven days before an election, the Democrats trot out Gloria Allred and some woman I do not know,” Walker said.
Walker’s campaign did not make him available to the media during two campaign stops, and he did not respond to questions while greeting supporters after a rally in Augusta. Walker has not spoken with journalists since several days.
Walker supporters claimed that the latest allegations didn’t change their opinion of Walker prior to the Augusta event. They said they trust Walker when he says the woman’s claims are a lie and they believe he would represent them better in Washington than incumbent U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“I have faith in him; he’s been honest,” said Vicki Grant, who lives in Evans. “We all make mistakes, but he is much better than the alternative.”
The interview, which aired Tuesday, featured the woman revealing that her relationship with Walker changed after she gave birth.
“He was very clear that he did not want me to have the child and he said that because of his wife’s family and powerful people around him that I would not be safe and that the child would not be safe,” she said.
“That’s very menacing,” ABC reporter Juju Chang replied.
“It is extremely menacing. It is very menacing. And I felt threatened and I thought I had no choice,” she said.
This is the second time Walker has claimed that Walker encouraged her to get an abortion after she was pregnant by him. Another woman declined to speak with The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionShe claimed that Walker paid for her 2009 abortion and encouraged her to have another. Walker and she have a child together.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution A poll released Monday showed that Walker and his Democratic opponent, U.S. senator Raphael Warnock were neck and neck. Both campaigns are planning for a December runoff, if neither candidate receives a majority in the Nov.8 elections.
Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican Senator, is one of the many elected officials and leaders in the GOP to support Walker again after the allegations were made public. Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, has also continued to support Walker.
Karen Blackburn, a Evans resident, was there to see Walker for the first-time. She said that while she may not like what she hears about Walker, she believes that he loves America, and has the best intentions.
“You can say that any candidate running — any politician in the United States — there are certain things that I don’t like about them, even my husband,” Blackburn said. “But overall, I think he’s the best choice to improve our country and get things turned around in the right way.”