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KBIA's coverage of all the elections going on in mid-Missouri and the nation for 2012.

Dropout deadline passes, and Akin's still in

Todd Akin
U.S. House of Representatives

Republican congressman Todd Akin has made good on his promise to stay in the Missouri Senate race against Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill.

Tuesday's final deadline for Missouri candidates to remove their names from the ballot came and went at 5 p.m. as Akin continued a bus tour across the state. It's a final confirmation that he's resisting calls from within his own party to drop his bid.

Many Republicans — including presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan — distanced themselves from Akin after his comments in August about what he called "legitimate rape."

But on Monday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared with Akin at a fundraiser. Gingrich predicted Republicans would return to Akin's side in the coming weeks.

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