ST. LOUIS (AP) — A defiant Rep. Todd Akin dismissed pleas from top Republicans to abandon his besieged Senate campaign Tuesday, saying party leaders including presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney were overreacting to his comments that women’s bodies can prevent pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape.”
Akin, who has been frantically trying to salvage his once-promising bid against incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill, said the uproar surrounding the remarks was out of proportion with his mistake — misspeaking “one word in one sentence on one day.”
For the second time in two days, Akin went on the radio show hosted by former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to say he planned to stay in the race, despite constant urging from prominent members of his own party to step aside.
“I guess my question is: Is there a matter of some justice here?” Akin asked. After his original statement, “all of a sudden, overnight, everybody decides, ‘Well, Akin can’t possibly win.’ Well, I don’t agree with that.”
The race has long been targeted by the GOP as crucial to regaining control of the Senate.