Republicans and anti-abortion movement leaders came to the defense of Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Tuesday, a day after a bombshell Daily Beast report accused him of allegedly paying for a former girlfriend’s abortion thirteen years ago, according to a new Axios report.

The former college and pro football star, who is facing off against Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races, called the article’s details a “flat-out lie” and vowed to sue the media outlet.

“We are full speed ahead in Georgia,” said Senate Leadership Fund president Steven Law, whose super PAC has spent or reserved $37.1 million in the race. “Herschel Walker will make things better, Raphael Warnock is making it worse. Anything else is a distraction.”

Mallory Carroll, spokeswoman for Women Speak Out PAC, the super PAC partner of SBA Pro-Life America, said that Walker “has denied these allegations in the strongest possible terms and we stand firmly alongside him.” She added that the group will continue to organize voters for Walker on the ground through election day.

Axios also reported that Walker appeared at a prayer luncheon in Atlanta on Tuesday.

"Everybody was supportive of him. They were very loving and very kind and very engaged,” Salleigh Grubbs, chair of the Cobb County GOP, who attended the event, told the news outlet.

“I think there are things that happen in everyone’s personal life. I’m not dissuaded and I don’t think any voters should be dissuaded,” she continued.

Meanwhile, as reported by The Hill, former President Donald Trump expressed his support for the ex-NFL running back.

“Hershel Walker is being slandered and maligned by the Fake News Media and obviously, the Democrats,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Interestingly, I’ve heard many horrible things about his opponent, Raphael Warnock, things that nobody should be talking about, so we don’t. Herschel has properly denied the charges against him, and I have no doubt he is correct,” he added.

According to the Daily Beast article published on Monday evening, Walker in 2009 urged an unnamed woman to get an abortion after she became pregnant while they were dating. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns, supported her claim with a $575 receipt from an abortion clinic and a bank deposit receipt showing that Walker reimbursed her $700 for the procedure.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Finance and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.