WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Congressman Todd Akin, under fire for controversial remarks on abortion and rape, insisted yesterday he would not leave the Missouri Senate race, despite pressure from fellow Republicans and talk of who might replace him on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Akin – a staunch abortion opponent – vowed to stay in the contest against Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, indicating he represents a conservative movement that must be heard.
A 5 p.m. local time (6 p.m. EDT) deadline passed with no indication he planned to take his name off the ballot.
Akin was defiant. His campaign posted a new web site on Tuesday seeking donations with a banner “I’m pro-life and I Stand with Todd Akin.” It had briefly featured a picture of a fetus and a picture of McCaskill with U.S. President Barack Obama, but the fetus image was later removed.
“We are going to continue in this race for U.S. Senate,” Akin told “The Mike Huckabee Show,” a radio program hosted by the former Arkansas governor.
