U.S. Rep. Todd Akin will get the support of the Missouri party apparatus and GOP politicians now that a deadline for withdrawing from the race has passed.
“Just like all of our GOP candidates elected in the August primary, the Missouri Republican Party stands behind Congressman Todd Akin in the race for United States Senate. Claire McCaskill is far too liberal for Missouri …” David Cole, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, said in a release.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., has pledged his own support for Akin and said Republicans need to become the majority party in the U.S. Senate.
Akin was shunned by many fellow Republicans after he said few women become pregnant as a result of “legitimate rape.” He has admitted his mistake frequently since the August interview, saying he was wrong.
Now that the deadline to get his name off the ballot has passed, those who called for Akin to step aside and let an uninjured candidate run against the incumbent McCaskill, might be thinking that at least Akin supports the right to life.
Recent polls show McCaskill ahead by 6 percentage points or less. That’s too close to call after she led by 10 percent immediately after Akin’s gaffe.
