Todd Akin showing no signs of ending Senate run
(CBS News) Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin caused a controversy last month with a statement about rape and pregnancy. Since then, the Republican congressman has been under pressure to get out of the race. Tuesday is the deadline for him to decide.
Akin is showing no signs of getting out of the race in Missouri. In fact, he's doing just the opposite. He's making plans to push through until November and he's getting support from some well-known Republicans.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich not only endorsed Akin on Monday, he predicted other Republicans would follow his lead.
Gingrich said, "I don't see how any national Republican in good conscience, after tomorrow, has any choice except to say, the choice is the Republican nominee or Sen. (Claire) McCaskill. I am for the Republican nominee."
Gingrich went on to help Akin raise money on Monday. Mike Huckabee will reportedly campaign with him, too.
But Republican support like this has been hard to come by for the Missouri congressman since he said, when asked if abortion should be legal for victims of rape, "It seems to me first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Those comments outraged Democrats and many Republicans. They also reversed the momentum in the Missouri Senate race. Before, the state was considered a likely Republican win. Now polls show that Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill has the advantage.
Akin has repeatedly apologized for what he said and - just as many times - has refused to drop out of the race.
GOP leaders - including Mitt Romney - have called on Akin to step aside and have pulled key funding. As recently as Sunday, the chairman of the Republican Party predicted a Democratic win if Akin stayed in the race.
Reince Priebus said on ABC's "This Week," "We're not going to play in Missouri with Todd Akin, I can tell you that."
But concerns like those don't seem to be having an impact on Akin. He takes his campaign on the road Tuesday in Missouri on a four-day bus tour called the "Common Sense Bus Tour." Tuesday is the last day for him to file the paperwork to get out of this race.
For more on this story, watch Chip Reid's full report in the video above.
