Todd Akin: Why some Republicans are now supporting him
Todd Akin won鈥檛 have to go it alone.
The Missouri Republican鈥檚 senatorial campaign, rocked by his remarks regarding 鈥渓egitimate rape鈥� last month, was left for dead by scores of national Republicans. Weeks ago, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Crossroads GPS, a Republican heavyweight 鈥渟uper political-action committee,鈥� pulled advertising from the Show-Me State.
But on Wednesday, the day after Representative Akin could pull out of the race and have his name not appear on the ballot, his campaign against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) was supported by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum (who won Missouri鈥檚 Republican presidential primary) and two Republican senators 鈥� one of whom had previously called for Akin to step down.
"If Republicans are to win back the Senate and stop President Obama's liberal agenda, we must defeat Senator Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Her support of President Obama's job-killing, big-spending policies are sending our country into an economic abyss,鈥� said Mr. Santorum and Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina in a jointly released statement.
Senator DeMint, a leading figure of the Senate鈥檚 most conservative wing whose PAC has supported many stridently conservative candidates, is weighing whether to put financial support behind his political vote of confidence.
The other senator voicing support for Akin? Sen. Roy Blunt (R) of Missouri.
鈥淐ongressman Akin and I don鈥檛 agree on everything, but he and I agree the Senate majority must change,鈥� Senator Blunt said in a statement. 鈥淔rom Governor Romney to the county courthouse, I'll be working for the Republican ticket in Missouri, and that includes Todd Akin."
In August, however, Blunt had joined all four living former Missouri senators in calling for Akin to step down.
鈥淲e do not believe it serves the national interest for Congressman Todd Akin to stay in this race,鈥� the five men said in a joint statement. 鈥淭he issues at stake are too big, and this election is simply too important. The right decision is to step aside.鈥�
Blunt鈥檚 about-face seems to be about making the best of a bad situation, says Dave Robertson, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. With control of the US Senate hanging in the balance, the GOP can鈥檛 afford to give up on a race that many thought would be one of its easiest takeover opportunities before Akin鈥檚 debacle.
鈥淲hether Akin loses or wins, Blunt is doing this for the party,鈥� Professor Robertson says. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 not going to be remembered that he did much of this, besides by people who support Akin. For Blunt, it probably is mostly pluses and not many minuses.鈥�
Will any of this backup make a difference for Akin?
It鈥檚 unlikely, says Brian Calfano, a political science professor at Missouri State University in Springfield, that Santorum and DeMint will move the needle for the congressman.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e both appealing to a strongly partisan or ideologically pure element of the electorate,鈥� Professor Calfano says. 鈥淎nd Akin already has that support.鈥�
Blunt's support, on the other hand, may help.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not as associated with the kinds of tea party or strident social conservatism that DeMint or Santorum are,鈥� Calfano says. 鈥淏eing as he is the hometown senator, he鈥檚 going to have a lot more influence鈥� with more center-right voters.
Yet it鈥檚 going to take money, and lots of it, to get Akin back on top against the flush McCaskill campaign.
That鈥檚 what DeMint may offer 鈥� and possibly other national Republicans who have turned off the spigots.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no way they鈥檙e going to ignore the possibility of knocking [McCaskill] off,鈥� Calfano says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e probably still going to see some support from a [PAC] or an NRSC to come in and do something, even though they said they wouldn鈥檛. They鈥檙e going to need that seat.鈥�
