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todd akin

  • Jonathan Dine, the Libertarian candidate for Missouri senator, took 6 percent of the vote in his race against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and…
  • Missouri congressman Todd Akin called it his "six-second mistake." But his brief remark about "legitimate rape" was more than enough to sink his U.S.…
  • Democratic Sen. ClaireMcCaskilldefeated GOP challenger Todd Akin Tuesday to hold on to a Missouri Senate seat that Republicans once considered vulnerable. McCaskill won with about 54-percent of the vote in the election. She told supporters in St. Louis' Central West End Tuesday night that the victory means more to her because many pundits had predicted she would lose her seat. "They all said 'it's over, it's done, it's too red, it's just too red, there is no way that Claire McCaskill can survive.' Well, you know what happened? You proved 'em wrong," McCaskill said. McCaskill told supporters that her landslide win does not mean she will only represent the interests of Democrats,"McCaskilltold supporters at the Chase Park Plaza. Akin damaged his chances shortly after winning the August primary, when he said in a TV interview that women's bodies have ways of avoiding pregnancy in what he called "legitimate rape." Akin apologized. But he refused calls from top Republicans to quit, and his campaign never fully recovered financially. Akin was forced to concede early early in the evening at his watch party in Chesterfield. “Well things don’t always turn out the way you think they’re going to,” said Akin. “I just called Claire McCaskill and gave her congratulations, because the way the numbers are looking, we have lost this race.” Throughout the campaign Akin never backed down from his convictions, even after it became apparent that he was likely headed toward defeat. In conceding, Akin repeated themes warning against big government and Christian conservatism. “We believe that life, liberty and pursuit of happiness come from almighty god, not an almighty government,” said Akin. “We also believe that our creator made us one people, there is one class in this country—Americans.” Neither Akin, nor his staff addressed the media after his concession speech. Some of Akin's supporters felt that their candidate was hamstrung by his own party after GOP funders dropped support for Akin in the wake of his controversial remarks. "The Democrats would never throw their own under the bus and that’s what I feel happened in August," said Kimberly Benz of North St. Louis County. See the St. Louis Beacon's Jo Mannies' story on this race See more stories on issues and elections from St. Louis Public Radio, the St. Louis Beacon and Nine Network of Public Media at BeyondNovember.org. Follow Adam Allington on Twitter: @aallington Follow Bill Raack on Twitter: @billraack
  • Hi all,I'll be posting updates here for key mid-Missouri races. We've got reporters in the field at watch parties all around mid-Missouri, so we'll have…
  • Senator Claire McCaskill is finishing up her statewide “Get Out the Vote” campaign today by making various stops throughout Missouri. One of them was in…
  • Shunned by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin is instead turning to former presidential hopeful Newt…
  • Republican Congressman Todd Akin is defending his statement comparing his opponent, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, to a dog.Over the weekend, Akin…
  • Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill and her Republican challenger Todd Akin face off tonight in their last scheduled Senatorial debate. The candidates for…
  • Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill is donning an apron to emphasize her support for federal student loans in her campaign against Republican Todd…
  • Republican challenger Todd Akin wants Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill to release her husband's income tax returns, even though Akin hasn't released his…