Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Todd Akin repeated on the Mike Huckabee radio show that he will stay in the race, saying “We are going to continue with this race for U.S. Senate,” which he then confirmed on Dana Loesch’s The Dana Show shortly after:
I don’t think this thing is lost by any means….I think we need to rush to the gunfire, I think we need to take this battle forward to defend America…I’m ready to continue this fight. I believe you’re going to see us, once again, standing in the U.S. Senate….let me make it clear on your program Dana, we are not getting out of this race. I’m in this race for the long haul, and we’re going to win it.
Earlier in the interview with Loesch, Akin spoke about party loyalty being short-lived:
There has been a big storm going on, really, and on the other hand I think there’s some very important principles that are at stake here…I ran for the senate, and the Republican party told me, when you win the primary, we will come to your aid….now what’s happened, the party embraced me, promised all kinds of millions of dollars and all kinds of. I misspoke one word in one sentence and overnight…they’ve asked me to step aside. The loyalty was short-lived.
And this:
We want to take our case to the people of Missouri….I feel like I’ve been hit by a 4 x 4 and I’m not likely to make that mistake again.
The majority of Loesch’s audience is from Missouri, and while many of her listeners expressed continued support for Akin, others called in saying they are scared about how Akin will survive without the financial support of the party.
If we step back from the Akin situation, regardless of whether he stays in–which it appears that he will–the GOP ought to take another look at themselves. Many Missourians who voted Akin in fear the Republican Establishment deciding their fate even more than the alternative. So much so that they’re reluctant to support booting someone with a liability like Akin, despite the controversy and fallout, because they are so wearied of the GOP.
If the GOP can’t count on the public’s trust in such a damaging situation as the Akin one, that is an even bigger problem as we head into the RNC convention and November.
Listen to audio of Akin’s interview on the Huckabee show here:
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