JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The deadline for withdrawing from the November 6th ballot came and went on Tuesday, and embattled GOP U.S. Senate canidate Todd Akin is still in the race.
Akin’s campaign sent out an email early Wednesday morning after the midnight deadline passed saying, “Now you know, the deadline has passed, I’m not dropping out, and we’re in this race to win.”
Tuesday marked the final deadline to petition the Missouri Secretary of State’s office to remove a name from the November ballot.
The move to stay in the race comes after weeks of controversy over comments to St. Louis’ KTVI-TV in which he said that women can’t become pregnant from “legitimate rape.” The comments drew widespread condemnation from many top Republicans, including GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who withdrew his support in Akin’s race against incumbant Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill.
In the most recent Rasmussen Report poll taken on September 12, McCaskill leads Akin 49 to 43 percent. The McCaskill campaign recently launched a series of political ads reminding voters of Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment.
In addition, on Monday the McCaskill campaign released an audio recording of an event in May taped by a Democratic staffer in which Akin responded to a question about the best way to contact with a congressman by saying that he remembers people who write him checks.
“In Todd Akin’s Missouri, the wealthy and well-connected can pay to play, but Missouri’s working families are simply on their own,” McCaskill campaign spokesman Erik Dorey told the Associated Press.
Akin’s campaign dismissed the accusation.
“Claire McCaskill is continuing to try and make this race about what Todd Akin has said rather than what she has done for the last six years,” said Akin spokesman Ryan Hite.
