Making his first public appearance since his rape comments ignited a political firestorm, Republican congressman Todd Akin insisted once again that he won’t bow out of his U.S. Senate race despite pleas from his Republican colleagues.
“We are going to be here through the November election and we are going to be here to win,” Mr. Akin said Friday afternoon, speaking in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield.
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Nearly every influential Republican called for the congressman to resign from his bid to defeat Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill after he suggested that women who are “legitimately raped” are less likely to conceive.
While speculation has been swirling all week over whether Mr. Akin would resign, he has remained publicly resolute to remain in the race, while insisting that his party has been too harsh on him. After meeting with social conservative leaders on Thursday, Mr. Akin appeared to have only strengthened his resolve.
His campaign claims to have raised $206,000 since his remarks became public and he sent out another plea to supporters on Friday, saying he wanted to raise $212,000 by midnight.
“It’s working! Let’s keep the momentum going!” he tweeted Friday afternoon.
