August 21, 2012

Todd Akin Attacks Mitt Romney – Run Your Race, I’ll Run Mine

Appearing on Sean Hannity’s radio program for the second time in as many days, Missouri Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin attacked the GOP’s presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, for joining a chorus of Republicans asking him to withdraw from the race. Akin said that Romney had blown the controversy out of proportion and implied that he had done so for his own political gain.

Hannity asked Akin, given the number of prominent Republican politicians asking Akin to drop out including Romney, if he is even pausing to consider leaving the Senate race in Missouri.

“Let me ask you this,” Akin began. “If you were in Romney’s position, don’t you think that he may have bid this thing up and made a bigger deal about it than he needed to?”

“Why couldn’t he run his race and I run mine,” asked Akin. “If things really look like they’re getting in trouble in Missouri than maybe — but he has just assumed.”

Akin went on to cite a Public Policy Polling flash poll from last night which showed him still leading Sen. Clair McCaskill even amid this controversy. Hannity pointed out that that particular poll sampled 9 points more Republicans than Democrats and it was a poor indicator.

Later in the interview, Akin said that he was contacted by Republican vice presidential candidatePaul Ryan who, according to reports, also asked Akin to consider dropping out.

New Poll Has Todd Akin Leading Claire McCaskill In Missouri

Maybe it’s too soon to take this poll. And maybe we would love to think that the people of Missouri are smarter than this. Never the less, a new poll from Public Policy Polling is reporting that even after the false and offensive comments on rape from Todd Akin, he is still leading Claire McCaskill for the Senate race.

Public Policy Polling found that “Missouri voters strongly disagree with the comments Todd Akin made about abortion over the weekend, but it hasn’t moved the numbers a whole lot in the Senate race. Akin leads Claire McCaskill by a single point, 44-43. That’s basically identical to our last poll of the contest in late May, which found Akin ahead by a 45-44 spread.

“It’s not that Missouri voters are ok with or supportive of Akin’s comments. 75% of voters, including even 64% of Republicans, say they were inappropriate to only 9% who consider them to have been appropriate. 79% of voters say they disagree with what Akin said, including 65% who express ‘strong’ disagreement with him. 51% of GOP voters say they strongly disagree with him.”

We can only hope the people of Missouri are smarter than this poll indicates. We can only hope that taking this poll 24 hours after Akin’s infamous statement is too soon to gauge Missouri’s voters on their preference for November. With just about everyone – from Democrats to Independents to Republicans – asking Akin to withdraw from the Senate race, this poll may not even matter.

Let’s wait and see what happens in the next 24 hours. If Akin withdraws his name, the deadline is today at 5PM.