Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has avoided playing up the Daily Beast’s report of an anonymous allegation of Senate candidate Herschel Walker paying for an abortion in 2009.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday evening, one day after the story broke, Warnock said he had not read the story and “I’ll let the pundits decide how they think it will impact the race.”

Warnock’s political calculation to sidestep the story could be for several reasons: First, the story may not be true. Second, the story could further energize Walker’s campaign by increasing contributions. Third, the story could reflect poorly on Warnock because of previous allegations against the senator.

Warnock has been accused of running over his ex-wife’s foot. In 2020, his ex-wife told police after the incident that Warnock was a “great actor.”

Warnock is additionally accused of failing to “reimburse” his ex-wife for childcare costs, leaving her “financially strapped,” according to a court filing.

Warnock has tried to sweep aside those allegations but after the Daily Beast’s story on Monday, additional questions resurfaced.

Walker’s campaign manager Scott Paradise meanwhile reportedly told staff the Daily Beast story had caused fundraising to surge, a terrible result for the Warnock campaign.

Questions still remain if the Daily Beast’s story is true. The allegation that Walker paid for an abortion came from an anonymous woman.

Walker has refuted the story and Republicans have rallied around the candidate. Former President Donald Trump backed up the former college football star Tuesday morning. “Herschel has properly denied the charges against him, and I have no doubt he is correct,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He is “being slandered and maligned.”

On Monday, Walker stated Monday the anonymous accusation was baseless.

“I can tell you right now, I never asked anyone to get an abortion. I never paid for an abortion, and it’s a lie. … They’ve jeopardized my kids. They’ve jeopardized my family. They think they can threaten me. They think they can scare me,” he said. “Right now, all that’s done is that’s energized me even more.”

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.