‘I’m Staying In The Race’ Says Todd Akin, Despite Fallout Over Rape Comments

St. Louis, MO – Apparently Todd Akin really believes that the Senate needs him to warm a seat (and that he can still get it after his controversial “legitimate rape” comments over the weekend). The Missouri Republican Rep. has pledged to stay in the Senate race, despite calls from GOP colleagues urging him to drop his bid and media condemnation from every corner.

Akin apologized Monday for his bizarre weekend comments that “legitimate rape” rarely results in victims’ pregnancy, but that didn’t stop GOP figures from unanimously abandoning and disavowing him. Though Akin acknowledged that he made “serious mistakes” in his response to a question regarding his stance on abortion in cases of rape, Republicans have called on the Missouri Rep. to drop his bid for Senate. However, zero support on either side of the aisle isn’t stopping Akin from his Senatorial ambitions, as he has announced that he will be staying in the race, reports NBC News.

“I made that statement in error. Let me be clear: rape is never legitimate; it’s an evil act that’s committed by violent predators,” Akin said on Mike Huckabee’s radio show. “I used the wrong words in the wrong way. What I said was ill-conceived and it was wrong, and for that, I apologize.”

Though top GOP figures have described Congressman Akin’s comments as “indefensible,” Akin himself has noted that not a single GOP figure has explicitly called for his resignation. “The good people of Missouri nominated me, and I’m not a quitter. And my belief is we’re going to take this thing forward, and by the grace of God, to win this race.”

But many Republican figures have in fact called for his resignation. Scott Brown of Massachusetts said that there “is no place in our public discourse for this type of offensive thinking,” urging Akin to apologize and resign. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said in a tweet that Akin “should step aside today for the good of the nation.”

On the other side of the aisle, criticism of Akin’s rape comments has come down from as high as President Obama himself. “Rape is rape” Obama said, according to the Washington Post. Obama also said that the idea of distinguishing among types of rape “doesn’t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn’t make sense to me.”

So, thus far, while Akin has apologized for his “legitimate rape” comments, he has insisted that he will not be abandoning his Senate bid.