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The most remarkable stat in the poll may be this from the crosstabs: even voters who say they are supporting Akin think he should withdraw by a 16-point margin, 50 percent to 34 percent. That suggests there's a floor for a Republican Senate candidate in Missouri, but that conservatives in the state would rather have a different option in the race

Embattled Senate candidate Todd Akin just told reporters in Chesterfield that he is staying in the Senate race against Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill. Akin repeated the kinds of statements he'd made previously to national media, asserting that he's never had the support of the Republican party establishment anyway. [...]

If the Republican Party needed any more proof that Missouri Republican Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin was poison to all GOP-ers, they've got it in a new Missouri presidential poll just published by Rasmussen Reports. After consistently trailing Mitt Romney in Missouri, President Obama is now beating him. It's by just one point, 47 percent to 46 percent, but it represents a big change from Romney's 50 percent-46 percent lead he had a month ago. Worse for the Republican: Romney has led in Missouri all year--until the Akin "legitimate rape" scandal. The poll could be proof that the scandal has...

While Missouri is always a tough state for both parties in presidential elections, until recently Mitt Romney didn’t have much to worry about. Rasmussen’s series of polls gave him a significant-if-not-quite-comfortable six-point margin in the Show Me State … at least until Todd Akin shared his views on the legitimacy of rape claims from pregnant victims. In today’s Rasmussen poll, Romney now slightly trails Obama, 47/46: As the controversy over Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment continues, Mitt Romney’s lead in Missouri has vanished. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Missouri Voters finds President Obama with...

ST CHARLES, Missouri (Reuters) - Missouri conservatives say they are rallying around U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin despite his controversial comments about rape because they are outraged that "establishment" Republican Party leaders tried to railroad him out of the race. A backlash has set in here in Akin's suburban St. Louis congressional district, where supporters said the national party had no right to attempt to force out a duly-elected candidate. Backers described Akin as the "real deal," a politician fiercely committed to their social causes such as opposition to abortion, and to the Tea Party drive to downsize government.

ST. ROBERT, Mo.—Claire McCaskill began a sparsely attended campaign event here Thursday with this quip: "I don't know if you noticed, but my campaign has been really boring lately." The ironic line was one of the few references the Democratic senator made to the political firestorm that erupted after her opponent, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, used the term "legitimate rape" during a TV interview Sunday. Rather than beat Mr. Akin over the head, Ms. McCaskill appears to have decided to let the wrecking ball he set in motion swing all by itself. And unlike the Republican establishment, which has called...

The political furor involving Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri took a nasty turn on Thursday, as Akin's congressional spokesman confirmed that there had been a variety of threats leveled against the Republican lawmaker and his staff. This was the statement put out by Akin's spokesman Steve Taylor: “I can verify that the Capitol police are working with an outside law enforcement agency regarding threatening contact with our official office. The office of Congressman Akin has received threats of rape of his official staff, family and the Congressman himself along with suggestions that individuals should die.” No other details were immediately...

Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) raised over $100,000 in a fundraising push started this week after members of the GOP establishment withdrew funds from the Missouri Senate race. He announced the accomplishment in a tweet. "Thousands of people stepped up and helped us raise over $100,000! The message is clear ... voters should pick candidates, not party bosses," he tweeted

August 23, 2012 Todd Akin: That Rasmussen poll showing me down by 10 points is great news Doug Brady I’m beyond speechless. What is this guy drinking? Stacy Drake, one of my fellow C4P editors, summed it up best in an email: Who knew Baghdad Bob moved to Missouri? With that, via Jim Hoft, anyone who goes to Todd Akin’s website will have the privilege of reading the following pearl of wisdom: St. Louis, MO: The following statement was released by Perry Akin, Campaign Manager for Todd Akin for Senate, in response to the Rasmussen poll released this morning: “The...

Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- Facing pressure from Republican heavyweights in Washington to abandon his Missouri Senate bid, Rep. Todd Akin is huddling with top conservative activists in Tampa to assess whether to move forward with his embattled candidacy. Akin spent Wednesday night and Thursday in a series of private meetings at the two-day summit of the Council For National Policy (CNP), a secretive group of conservative leaders who are meeting in Florida before next week's RNC. -snip- Multiple sources at the CNP conference told CNN that Akin is being encouraged by leading figures in the conservative movement to remain in...

After days of ignoring Republican pleas to abandon his U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri, Rep. Todd Akin today received an even more damning message: A new Rasmussen poll shows that Akin, who held a tidy lead before making his controversial comments about rape and pregnancy, is now down 10 percentage points (48-38 percent) to incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Never fazed, the Akin campaign shot back with an unlikely proposal. “The fact that Claire McCaskill is only polling at 48 percent after 72 hours of constant negative attacks on Todd Akin shows just how weak she is,” Akin spokesman Perry...

What a difference one TV interview can make. Embattled Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill has now jumped to a 10-point lead over her Republican challenger, Congressman Todd Akin, in Missouri’s U.S. Senate race. Most Missouri Republicans want Akin to quit the race while most Missouri Democrats want him to stay. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Show Me State finds McCaskill earning 48% support to Akin’s 38%. Nine percent (9%) like some other candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are undecided.

Rasmussen will be releasing a poll this morning showing Akin costing us dearly in Missouri: McCaskill 48% Akin 38%. Time to pack it up and stop screwing us, big guy.

Democrats are working to make a Missouri congressman's controversial comment about rape an issue in the heated 7th Congressional District race. Republican Rep. Todd Akin has come under fire from politicians on both sides of the aisle for saying in a televised interview that a woman's body has the ability to block pregnancy in cases of what he called "legitimate rape." He has apologized for the remarks, but rejected calls from Republican leaders and politicians, including presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, to drop his U.S. Senate campaign against Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, denounced...

Around the clock, Democratic candidates, spokesmen, commercials, and the party’s foot soldiers in the news media will labor sedulously to transform the party of Lincoln and Reagan into the party of Akin. By Election Day, Akin will be more famous, ubiquitous, and inescapable than Kim Kardashian. His twisted comments on rape will be played again and again, with spooky music, scary edits, and every instrument in the campaign consultant’s tool box applied to amplify this message. By November 6, the only woman who will vote for Mitt Romney will be Ann Romney — maybe. With women (and many men) terrified...

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They phoned. They wrote. They rebuked him publicly from coast to coast. They cut off funding and support. Yet Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin didn’t cave. He refused to withdraw by the initial 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline, sticking with his November race against Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill. His choice means women’s health and abortion remain top issues, causing a debate the GOP had hoped to avoid. Akin, who says he misspoke when he said “legitimate rape” victims can prevent pregnancy, has a long voting record against abortion in any circumstance. Akin also is in line with U.S. Rep. Paul...

The deadline for Representative Todd Akin (R-MO) to withdraw from the Missouri Senate has passed. This has led to much wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst conservatives, myself included. Despite seemingly every prominent Republican and conservative in the country condemning his comments on rape or calling for him to exit the race, he ultimately refused. Could he still do so? Yes, through petitioning a Missouri court in what appears to be a fairly simple process. Some have suggested that the left would try to impede this process, but I'm not sure how they could. If that's the case, will he...

A physician and former president of the National Right to Life Committee, Willke was an “important surrogate” for Romney’s 2008 presidential bid. Willke is the oft-cited source of the theory that rape-related pregnancies are “rare.” The theory is sometimes used by antiabortion advocates to argue that abortion laws should not contain exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. Willke believes that trauma caused by violent rape causes a woman’s reproductive system to shut down. He presents this belief as fact in educational materials, including a book about abortion and a website called abortionfacts.com. Willke’s views – and his...

Live on Greta. "We cannot quash this opportunity in Missouri!" She's more fired up than I've seen her in awhile, looks like she's ready to get up and start throwing stuff around the studio.